Corrupted Thought
by Kaji-chan
Summary: Inuyasha seems to be possessed by an anonymous force... one that has something to do with Kagome and a forgotten past. But reversing this curse is proving difficult for Kagome and the others, especially when Inuyasha might do something he regrets.
1. A Tumbling Fall

I would like to give my inspirational credit to the lovely author, Merith! applause Yay Merith! holds up inspirational sign pointing to Merith whispers She doesn't know about me giving her credit…

Now… I know all of you are REALLY pissed at me for not updating my stories, and I KNOW that I haven't updated in months, but I really hit a writers block when semesters started to creep up. When I tried to cram a bunch of education into my brain, it inevitably ran out of room and began to take refuge in the other 80 of my brain; my fanfiction section. ; So… I kind of forgot where I was going with the damn things… (excuse my French), so I've been jumping from fanfic idea to fanfic idea; eventually bubbling down to these. So… until I come up with a way to fluidly mesh the plot of my fanfictions, I'm afraid you'll have to develop a way to amuse yourself…

Blah blah blah…. rants for a few minutes What was I talking about? Ah… yes… my Inuyasha youkai fanfiction. PLOT: Yes, the plot is going to be about Inuyasha being cursed to his youkai form and the Inuyasha gang having to keep him at bay until they can find the one who cursed him… who still remains anonymous considering the fact that they don't know who she/he is… and then how Kagome will react when… well… how about you read a bit of it and tell me how you feel?

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Damn.

Corrupted Minds

Chapter 1: A Tumbling Fall

By: Kaji-chan

"Please, Inuyasha? I won't be gone _that_ long! I promise!"

"No."

"But if you would only just—"

"No."

"Will you at least listen—"

"_No."_

"Inuyasha—"

"Hm… let me think about it… NO."

Kagome's lower lip stuck out in an annoyed motion of stubbornness, her arms crossed over her chest as she glared up at Inuyasha. "You're _impossible_ to reason with!"

The inu hanyou copied her pouting face and crossed his arms over his chest, a triumphant smirk lingering on his lips. "You're impossible to reason with!" he mimicked, rolling his eyes and imitating her voice.

"I—Hey! I do not sound like that!" she hissed, her hands dropping to fist at her sides as she stood on her tip-toes in an attempt to create an intimidating picture.

Inuyasha honestly tried to keep his straight, strict demeanor as she stood up to him, but never-the-less, a poorly suppressed laugh escaped from his lips when she realized that even on her tip-toes she still wasn't eyelevel with him. She dropped from her tip-toes, pouting in defeat. The sight was too much, and he let out another laugh, but this time coming out more as a snort of humor as he tried to swallow his amusement. She leveled him with a glare for it. "What?" he spouted defensively, feigning an innocent look. Judging by her heightened glare, he wasn't as good at looking innocent as Miroku.

"Don't laugh at me!" she huffed, smacking his arm when his bemused snorts turned into full throated laughter. Her irritated expression showed that she was very much displeased with his failure to remain serious. "It's not fair that you're taller than me!" She pursed her lips. "Or that you have say over everything I do…"

Inuyasha smirked, exposing his fangs arrogantly. "The world's never fair."

"Only 'cause you're in it," she muttered.

He chose to ignore her comment in favor of his lightened mood. "You don't have to go back to your time for some _stupid_ class." Kagome's eyebrow twitched. Oops. Better back off of the mention her classes being stupid. "But what about Sango, Miroku and Shippou? You just got back. What do you need it for when you can stay here with us? It's like you don't want to be around us."

Kagome blinked at him, an uncertain expression seeping into her features as his words sunk in. There it was, her soft spot. Any time he mentioned the others, she was riding the guilt trip. He felt a bit guilty himself, having not meant it to come out that way, but it was true. It was like she was purposefully trying to get away from them all the time.

A guilty expression overtook her features as she mulled over it, her hand reaching up to rest below her lips in a vulnerable and hesitant position. Inuyasha watched her closely for a reaction. Actually… He cocked an eyebrow. She looked kind of cute when she got all tentative and shit.

She sighed softly, a culpable look settling into her brown eyes, her eyebrows drawing together. "I guess… it would be wrong to run off on them again… I mean… you're right… I just got back…"

Heh. Too easy. "See? You don't need some stupid class when we still have to collect all the shards and kill Naraku."

Her shoulders slumped in defeat. "Fine. You win, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha felt his own shoulders slump. That's it? No fight? He frowned. Well that's no fun. She was getting to be so yielding now-a-days. Whatever happened to her fiery self, the one that argued and stood up against everything he said? His frown deepened. What the hell's the point of arguing with her anymore if he always won?

"Should we go back then?" she offered, smiling a bit as she motioned back towards the village and away from the well.

Hell no. He glanced around for something of use, his eyes landing on her overstuffed backpack. A little shimmer caught his eye, just poking out of the slightly torn seems of the top of the yellow bag. "What's this?" he said, snatching the object from its protruding position in the backpack. He tuned over a little box in his hand, a little gold lock on it.

"Eh?" she whispered, looking up to see what it was. He was about to inspect it when suddenly she squeaked and dove for it. Huh? He held it up above his head, watching her jump up and down as she attempted to snatch it from his hand.

He peered up, holding it in both hands and attempting to open the box, moving it out of the young woman's reach. "No!" she squeaked, snatching for the box held just out of her reach. "You can't—" she jumped, making a desperate grab for the object he held, "—see it!"

"Huh? Why not?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Be—" she jumped again, "—cause!"

He would have held her down with one hand and investigated with the other, but he needed both hands to open the lock. "Why don't you just tell me what it is?" he asked.

"I told you!" Jump. "I just can't!"

"Fine. I'll just open it and see for myself—"

"No you WON'T!" she yelled, grabbing his arm and somehow managing to pull it down low enough for her to snatch it from him. She hopped backwards, holding up the box in triumph. "Hah! I—"

He walked up and took it right out of her hands, shaking his head and securing the box tightly in his fist. "Sometimes you're so stupid, Kagome."

Her eyebrow twitched. Now this was more like the Kagome he knew.

Wearing a mischievous grin, he lightly pushed her shoulders, laughing again when she fell off balance and toppled over, her hands wind milling to no effect, and landing not-too-gracefully on her butt. Kagome glared up at the laughing hanyou, angrily grabbing a fistful of dirt and grass and throwing it up at him.

Inuyasha sidestepped the dirt, and squatted down to her eyelevel, still chuckling. "I really don't care about this _stupid_ class you're going to, because you have more important things to do here."

"It's a dance and yogaclass. And taking the class will help my balance and posture, as well as concentration!" she protested desperately, "My archery will be more precise! Please, it's just for a few—"

"Kagome." Inuyasha said sharply, cutting off her rebuttal, "I said no, and that means _no_." Folding his hands into his wide sleeves, he leaned forward to emphasize his decision, ignoring her furiously defiant expression. "You're staying here and that's that."

Kagome's lips thinned irately. "Why are you being like this?" she asked in a strained tone.

He paused thoughtfully, his humored smile not fading from his features as he turned amused, twinkling eyes toward her flaring, angry ones. "Because I can." he said, tapping his upper chest where an ancient rosary once rested, another smirk spreading across his features. "It's really _your_ fault I have this freedom, you know. If you hadn't accidentally caught hold of it and slipped it off my neck…"

She glared at him. "That wasn't all my fault…"

"But enough about the class…" She opened her mouth to protest but he silenced it by covering her mouth with his finger. Her mouth instantly snapped shut, and he noticed her scent pique ever so slightly as she stiffened in surprise. Inuyasha wore a small smile on his lips, her eyes dilating ever-so-slightly and darting up and down his face nervously. He leaned forward a bit, and paused, Kagome drawing in a short gasp, her scent spiked with fear and excitement. Inuyasha held up the box in front of her nose. "Now what's this?"

Her eyes widened a bit before her expression completely flattened. He blinked. What? Was she expecting something else from him? "What? Don't tell me you're still mad about me telling you no…"

Her eyes narrowed in obvious irritation. "_I-nu-ya-sha_…" she hissed from between clenched teeth. With a frustrated shout, she lunged at him, catching him off guard and knocking him forcefully onto his back, holding down his shoulders with her hands as she put all her weight on them. Inuyasha blinked in shock at her sudden aggression, the smile fading as she glared down at him, her face shadowed from the light by her curtain of hair.

"Of all the conceited, self-centered, egotistical…" she ranted, pressing as hard as she could on his shoulders while she leaned forward and hissed angrily about his incapability to be remotely human. "…arrogant, condescending, supercilious, pretentious, self promoting things possible!"

Inuyasha blinked at her for two reasons. One, he had no idea why she was so pissed at him, and two, he had no idea how she had managed to flip him onto his back. Where the hell did this come from? "I know that Sango-chan and Shippou-chan miss me when I'm gone, but the last time I went home was two days ago for about three hours to get medical supplies! They'd be fine if I was gone for another two days! I haven't been to school for two and a half months, Inuyasha, MONTHS; and just because you aren't wearing that damned rosary anymore you think you have the right to tell me whether I can or can't—"

His arrogant smirk slowly spread across his lips as she ranted, realizing that she was paying less and less attention to him. Using her distraction, he kicked her legs out from under her with a quick sweep of his legs. Kagome squeaked as she lost the balance on her knees and fell forward onto his chest, her hands slipping out from under her to slide on either side of Inuyasha's head. Inuyasha reached up to snatch her hands and rolled over, pinning her effectively to the ground in one fluid movement. Smirking down at her flustered expression and locking her arms to either side of her, he whispered, "Don't be so disappointed, Kagome."

Kagome huffed, straining against his hold in a futile attempt to escape his grip on her forearms. "If only…"

"…the rosary was still around my neck?" Inuyasha cut in with a conquering grin. "I know… sucks, doesn't it?"

Eye's narrowing with effort, Kagome threw her weight to the side so that the slant of the hill gave her enough leverage to flip Inuyasha back onto his haughty ass. "Hah!" she triumphed as a disapproving growl rolled up Inuyasha's throat, "I don't need a rosary to—Kya!"

Kagome's victory speech was cut short when Inuyasha once again reversed their positions, accidentally pushing too hard and sending the both of them rolling unceremoniously down the hill in a tangle of limbs. The two of them grunted and winced as rocks and dirt hit their backs during their careening tumble down the slope. Finally rolling to a halted sprawl at the bottom of the hill, they rolled away from each other, both rubbing their heads in an attempt to force the dizziness out of their vision.

Inuyasha rolled to face Kagome, seeing her chest heaving as she gasped for the air that was deprived of her lungs when her back collided with a rock and knocked the wind out of her. He forced his vision into a focus, crawling over towards her. Inuyasha pulled himself over her, managing to pin down her legs with his knees and hold her hands above her head. "There…" he panted. "I… won…"

Kagome was slowly regaining her breath. "I don't… think so…" she rasped out, weakly attempting to push his weight off of her hands enough to roll him over, but found her energy wasted.

His vision had now cleared up, and he was regaining a steady breathing. "Heh. I guess I'm too much for you."

She swallowed, gasping again for air as her eyes focused better on him, as she wasn't able to regain he energy as quickly as him. "Don't… be so sure…" she said more clearly, glaring at him challengingly.

He returned her tense glare with a smirk. "You should know better than to wrestle with me, Kagome."

With a reluctant, yielding sigh, Kagome's flustered face slowly melted into a soft smile; her chest heaving with exhaustion. "No… I guess not…"

Inuyasha's smirk faltered as he looked down at her; how innocently her shiny, black hair splayed around her form and framed her flushed, smiling face, how her chest rose and fell with her light breathing, how their faces were only ten inches apart… The air between them suddenly seemed to heat, and he swallowed awkwardly. Inuyasha's grip on her hands slackened as they both found themselves in an uncomfortable situation. Kagome blushed slightly and turned away. Inuyasha couldn't help but notice when she unconsciously licked her lips out of nervous anxiety.

Kagome shifted uncomfortably under his stare, tugging lightly for her hands to be released, his hands letting go of hers and finally pulling her hands down towards her chest. Inuyasha still hadn't moved his hands from above her head, finding himself unable to move from their position; frozen to the spot.

"I… I guess you win," she whispered quietly in an attempt to break the unease, finding herself also unable to move away from him.

Inuyasha blinked slowly while he refocused his mind back to a safer run of thoughts, his lips turning up slightly as he replied, "Yeah…"

Kagome's eyes slowly trailed back to Inuyasha's, finding his boring back down into hers, a mirrored look of realization also residing in his eyes. This time, neither of them could pull away from the other. Inuyasha's eyes drifted down to Kagome's lips, finding himself unable to look away. An invisible magnetic force seemed to pull them to each other, finding their faces drawing closer. They were mere inches apart; Kagome could feel Inuyasha's warm breath on her lips…

"KAGOMEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Inuyasha's head snapped up at the sound of the familiar, high-pitched voice that rang through the forest; the couple instantly breaking apart from each other as a creature burst out of the bushes. Inuyasha folded his hands into his haori in irritation, a scowl drawing onto his features as he fought away a faint blush. That damned runt…

A ball of fur bounced up from the ground and barreled into Kagome, burying itself into her shirt. "Hide meeeeee!" it squealed.

Inuyasha watched as Kagome sighed, closing her eyes in a resentful resignation. They had been so close… _centimeters_. There were few occasions when he had ever allowed himself to get so dangerously close to her like that. This was one of those times. Even though Inuyasha should have been scolding himself for being so foolish, he couldn't help but glare daggers at the kitsune child for his intrusion. "From what, Shippou-chan?" she asked, carefully concealing her emotion with a tight smile.

Inuyasha blinked at her expression. She was trying to hide it, but it was still there. That trace of anger. What was she mad about? Was she mad at him? Because he almost kissed her?

The fox turned up large, watery eyes to the young teenage miko and clutched fistfuls of her shirt in his miniscule hands. "Th-th-th-th-they're c-c-c-c-c-coming!" he squealed, tugging on her uniform.

It was amazing that after so long, the kit still hadn't grown any bigger than when he first joined up with him and Kagome after the defeat of the Thunder Brothers. Perhaps it was because he was a full-blooded demon…

Kagome's displeasure flooded from her system as her head shot up towards the trees in concern for the kit, Inuyasha also reaching a hand to rest on the hilt of his sword. "What's coming, Shippou-chan!"

Kagome, realizing she had left her bow and arrows behind at Kaede's hut, pressed her forefingers together to center her miko powers to her hands in case her aide was needed. She had only just recently learned how to use her powers through other objects aside from archery, but creating one single burst of purifying energy from her hands took up all her energy and usually rendered her unconscious. Feeling a warm pulsation at her fingertips, she turned towards the rustling bushes, Inuyasha running to stand protectively in front of her.

The tree line ripped apart, branches and leaves flying in all different directions as two figures burst into the clearing. Kagome's tense expression dropped to a flat, slightly irritated one; Inuyasha barely preventing himself from falling over. "Shippou-chan…" Kagome inquired quietly as the two figures stomped angrily towards the kitsune. "_What_ did you do?"

Shippou squealed and dove behind her, whimpering as he squeaked out, "I d-d-d-didn't mean t-t-t-to! It was an a-a-a-acid-d-dent! I didn't know!"

Sango raised her enormous boomerang above her head, the sky suddenly receding to a dark and menacing color as she hovered above Shippou. "An _accident_?"

Inuyasha snorted, turning his head away slightly. "You're all crazy…"

Kagome sent him a mild glare. "Like you're in any position to talk."

"What is that implying?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"As the Scots would say, Inuyasha, you're one sandwich short of a picnic."

Inuyasha glared at her. "What the Hell is that supposed to mean!"

Kagome stood up, fully prepared to begin World War Three with the hanyou, when she realized that in doing so, she had exposed the shaking fox child. With a surprised yelp, he crawled behind her legs in an attempt to shield himself. "Don't hurt meeee!"

Inuyasha leveled the kit with a blank stare. This kid was certainly pissing everyone off today. "What'd he do?"

Sango and Miroku either didn't hear him or chose to ignore him. Actually, unlike usual, he found that he didn't really care anyway. Shrugging, he stood, starting off towards the village.

"Where are you going?"

Inuyasha glanced over his shoulder at Kagome, who had also stood and jogged after him, leaving behind Shippou to fend for himself. The fox child squealed in horror at the sudden absence of his shield, darting away from the monk and exterminator as they advanced on him. "Hm?" he answered, looking at her.

"Well, I…" she started, unable to finish as she ducked behind a curtain of bangs in embarrassment. "Before Shippou… you know… did you…? Were we…? Um…"

Even though her broken speech would have been impossible for anyone else to understand, he knew exactly what she was talking about. He felt a lump rise uncomfortably in his throat and he turned away from her, swallowing. "I think the brat could use your help…" he cut in, abruptly steering their short conversation into safe territory.

Kagome turned to look at the wailing child barreling across the green towards her, two darkened figures hot on his trail. She blinked as they ran straight by her, watching them run away and out of sight over the dip of the hill, leaving behind a trail of dust and the occasional yelling and squeals of terror drifting from the direction of the village below. She stood there, listening to the fading voices of her traveling companions before turning to face Inuyasha. "Inuyasha… about…"

He wasn't there.

Inuyasha's feet dangled from the tree branch, his back resting lazily against the trunk of the oak he resided in. It happened again. They were so close.

And it frightened him.

Which was saying a lot, considering that he was afraid of pretty much nothing. But thinking about how close their lips had been sent a jolt of fear through his body, forcing him to open his eyes to gaze at the horizon. He had almost kissed her.

Again.

He let his head loll back to smack against the bark of the trunk. He was getting so careless. He was getting too close to her.

He wanted to be close to her. He wanted to share those bittersweet moments with her. He wanted to be with her. But there was no escaping the fact that he couldn't.

He couldn't be with her. He couldn't hurt her.

Inuyasha sighed, but his body did not relax like he had intended it to. His claws dug into the branch, feeling the wood splinter underneath the pressure and dig into the soft underside of his nails, but he didn't care. He knew just as well as she did that they couldn't be together. Sure, they could still care for each other, they could still look after one another, and they could still confide in one another, though the cases were rare, but they couldn't be together in the way they both wanted to.

She knew and he knew what was keeping them apart. It was a combination of many things. The importance of destroying the Shikon no Tama, killing Naraku, and in the end, himself going to Hell with Kikyou as he had promised. He couldn't avoid them, and neither could she. They both understood.

But for some reason, the both of them didn't care.

They had promised each other, two years ago, when they realized that their shard hunting would soon be coming to an end, that they couldn't allow each other to get too close to the other. But then, they hadn't expected everything to drag out so long. But then, they hadn't expected Inuyasha's rosary to explode. But then, they weren't old enough to understand that growing up would also evoke more adult emotions. Or that their feelings for each other would grow stronger.

She was seventeen now. Soon to be eighteen. He was eighteen, soon to be nineteen. It was pushing upon three years, now, their journey for the shards. They were old enough to carry the burden of their relationship, and they were old enough to understand that it would case more pain and sadness than happiness.

So why were they acting like children and forgetting that?

He could see it in her eyes every time he looked at her. She was restraining herself. She was honoring his relationship with Kikyou. She wouldn't allow herself to succumb to her own desires. To her love for him. He knew it better than any other how much it was tearing her up inside.

Inuyasha closed his eyes, but his brows drew together rather than relaxing in thought. It was never her who pushed too far. It was always him. It was him who leaned forward to kiss her. It was him who leaned forward to kiss her two years ago. It was his fault.

He was continually telling her that they couldn't be together. That they couldn't let things out of hand. Yet Inuyasha was always the first one to go against it. He was constantly giving her false hopes of something they could never have.

It was his turn to feel guilty. He was always the one messing around and never being serious. Just a while ago he was teasing Kagome, playing with her. Yet he was the one who was always telling her they needed to be serious. He was such a hypocrite. Not that he would admit it if anyone accused him of it, though.

Inuyasha couldn't help a small chuckle. Here he was, brooding over their relationship like he did with Kikyou some fifty odd years ago. It would be more, now, wouldn't it, though? Somewhere around fifty-three years.

He sighed again. Everything seemed to drift away from him. His love for Kikyou was slowly transforming into what seemed like a faded longing for her forgiveness. His ambition to seek out and destroy Naraku was still as strong as it ever had been, but he was not as careless in his pursuit for the demon. The primarily drifting feature of his life seemed to be time.

Time… it was slowly slipping from him. He was beginning to notice that everything seemed to pass by so quickly. The past three years seemed to have swept right from underneath his own feet. The only time that ever seemed to recede back to normal was when he spent it with Kagome. Not just traveling with her, but actually spending it with her. Just her.

He like the occasional walks with her, just a bit separated from the group enough to where they could speak in private. Even though they never really talked. The occasional, subtle touches or nudges. He found himself smile when he spent time with her. He enjoyed those times. With her. Inuyasha's eyes opened to stare blankly forward. Unfortunately, those times with her were the ones that were bringing them dangerously too close. Too close to each other and too close to the end.

One of which he wanted but couldn't have, the other of which he didn't want but would inevitably happen. He did not wish it, but needed the end of their quest to come. Simply because the faster it did, the less pain they would go through, and the less time they would have to get closer.

Because they inevitably were.

And he was afraid.

Because he wanted more time.

Okay. There's chapter one. Hopefully, I won't be a bum and I'll update soon. If I don't… then… um… wanders off to ponder how she's going to juggle all of these fanfictions at once and keep up a 4.0 GPA

Until next time!

_Kaji-chan _


	2. Slick Sweat

Hey, all! I have updated, finally… shock I am finding that of all of my current fanfictions, this one is my favorite so far. I can really get into this story line… as you will see at the end of this particular installment (which I enjoyed writing, by the way). BTW, the plot comes in during the course of this chapter…

I don't know why, but none of my italics are coming up on OR so… I put the "flashback" in .

Disclaimer: For all of you who don't know, my name is not Rumiko Takahashi. So, by the standard laws of humanity, there is no possible way on Earth that I could own (or have the ability to write and/or draw) Inuyasha.

_Corrupted Thought_

_Chapter 2: Slick Sweat_

_By: Kaji-chan_

Kagome let out an exasperated sigh as she watched the water slowly begin to simmer, a slightly bored expression lingering on her features. Tiny little bubbles started to form at the bottom of the pot, jiggling happily there before wriggling their way to the top, disappearing into the heated atmosphere of Kaede's hut. Kagome sighed again, wishing that she had something to drown out the persistent yelling behind her.

"You do, too!"

"I do not!"

"Yes you do!"

"No, I swear to you—"

"You're lying to me! Don't lie to me!"

"I would never lie to you—"

"You're lying right now!"

"No, I'm not…"

"See! It's that tone of voice!"

"What tone of voice?"

"The one you use when you lie to me to cover up something you know I'll be mad at for when I eventually find out!"

"But, Sango, I swear—!"

"Houshi-sama, I can see it sticking out!"

There was an uncertain pause as the monk shifted uncomfortably, moving the embarrassing evidence out of her sight. It only made the taijiya all the more angry. "Look!" she said, pointing at it with a finger, her expression showing that she was clearly offended, Miroku scooting back uncomfortably. "You WERE lying to me—you had an Ace this whole time!"

Miroku laughed nervously as she glared at him accusingly, his lying indignity caught red-handed. He shifted back to his previous sitting position, facing her, and reluctantly handed over the Ace of spades, silently making a note to hide his cards better from her sight. Sango reached over to take it from him, but he didn't seem to want to let it go. They both tugged at it, neither wanting to give up the card. "Oh my gosh! Inuyasha is making out with Kagome!" Sango cried, pointing outside of Kaede's hut, her eyes wide in surprise.

Miroku whirled around to see the scandal, letting go of the card in the process. "I don't see…" he began, before turning back to level a mild glare to the triumphantly smiling taijiya, busy adding her newly acquired card to her growing pile of matches. "Okay, then…" she said, doing a terrible job of hiding her exultant smirk. "Your turn."

The monk sighed, bowing his head in a motion of self-pity. After an impatient grunt from Sango, he raised his head and glanced down the row of cards, his brow furrowing in concentration. "Hm… do you have a King, my queen?"

Said 'queen' sported an annoyed look, pointing to a large deck of cards in between him in punishment. "Go fish."

He sighed once more, reaching down and drawing a card, frowning self-dejectedly at the number before adding it to his overflowing hand. "Do you have a—"

"No," she said immediately.

He slanted a look at her. "But I haven't even asked yet!" he cried indignantly.

Sango shrugged. "It doesn't matter what you ask me, because I know you're going to ask me for a seven, and I don't have a seven. You _always_ ask if I have a seven after you ask me for a King."

Miroku attempted a puzzled look, creating an impression of shock. How did she know that? He moved his seven over; deciding on the card nestled next to it. "Actually, I was going to ask for a six."

"Go fish."

The monk sighed, reaching out and grabbing yet another card, while Sango furrowed her brow, deciding which card to ask him for. Miroku watched her with a piqued interest. She looked very attractive with her eyebrows pinched in a small pout; his eyes trailing down to her cute, pursed lips. Too bad his eyes kept moving downwards, his appreciation centered a little below the neckline, noting the innocent accentuation of her womanly features by her yukata, which was twisted at an interesting angle by her relaxed sitting position. Sango must have felt his stare, because her eyes shot up, catching him in an awkward and embarrassing situation. He, in turn, warily lifted his eyes and caught her angry glare, realizing his gaze had lingered a bit to long on her upper torso; his uh-oh smile nervously graced the monk's lips. "Ah… Sango…"

Kagome winced, squeezing her eyes shut in a small attempt to drown out the yelps of pains and cursing which followed, concentrating on the boiling water rather than the confrontation taking place behind her. She sat up, leaning over the pot a bit to check up on the progress of the water, deciding it was ready and pulling out a few packages of ramen. She unwrapped the packages, setting aside the flavor packets and adding the uncooked noodles to the bubbling pot.

Sighing, she sat back again to wait for the noodles to get tender, leaning back on her hands in a show of boredom. "I wonder where Inuyasha is…" she whispered quietly to herself. Kagome's eyes trailed from the fire to the window nearby, gazing outside at the tress and lush grass that resided outside of Kaede's hut. The sky had begun to darken, the warm rays of sun repressing and dying from above as it crawled over the mountains to rest for the night. With the absence of the sun's warmth, the animals had begun to disappear into the thickets, and the soft hum of crickets filled the calm nature of the outside.

Kagome stood, briefly leaving the instant ramen to simmer quietly on its own, moving towards the window and leaning on the sill. She drew in a deep breath, pulling in the thick, cool atmosphere of the woods as it fell slowly into the blanket of darkness. Closing her eyes, she let out a long, relieving rush of breath, allowing herself to bask in the tranquility and peaceful air that surrounded this world. She couldn't do this kind of thing back home; the air was too shallow and thin from pollution and lack of plant life. But here… when you drew in the smallest of breaths, it was as if you were pulling in the very epitome of your surroundings. Here, you could almost taste the sweet essence of the forest on the tip of your tongue as it tingled your lips, lingered on your clothes and filled your soul with a fullness only achieved by the contiguous encompass of thriving life.

There was something about the cool air, the subtle breeze, and the essence of the trees that made her feel so alive. She bowed her head in thought, her eyes sliding open to gaze at the grass outside the window through half-lidded eyes. Inuyasha smelled like the forest. He smelled of the sweet oak trees barely touched by the morning's soft dew. He smelled of the gentle mosses and grass that covered the ground in a lush blanket of green plush. He smelled of the trickling streams that flowed silently through the thickets; clean, fresh, and sweet, flowing freely by any path it so chose to run. But buried beneath the soft, gentle scents of the forest, was a light, barely noticeable spice—an interesting, tingling musk that only he held.

Kagome smiled mysteriously to herself, leaning her head back to gaze up at the hinting signs of stars in the young night sky. Her eyes slid closed, and she drew in another deep breath, filling her lungs with that sweet, succulent atmosphere, her mind flooding with images of Inuyasha as he ran though the forest with her tightly clasped to his back. His long, sleek silver hair as it brushed innocently against her cheek, to those deep amber eyes, seeming to accentuate a molten passion beneath their calm surface. Her thoughts trailed to the feel of his velvety haori; seemingly rough if touched the wrong way, but smooth when she brushed her hands over his shoulders, around his neck. His muscles; as she clung to his back, she could feel his muscles rippling beneath her, the strength in his shoulders bunching as he tightened his hold on her every so often. His hands always seemed to trail accidentally up her thigh, his claws brushing impishly against her leg, but she was sure she was the only one who noticed such a simple mistake.

His hands. She let out a small, almost unnoticeable breath of air, her eyes glazing slightly and fluttering shut. So smooth. So chary. So teasing. Every time his claws grazed over her skin, it sent a jolt of electricity through her, and a new but strangely enjoyable feeling would pool at the pit of her stomach. If only he were to ever touch her in such a way, in such an intimate way, but only purposefully. If his touch was underlined with a hushed infatuation; one he kept hidden from the world, saved only for her. She felt that interesting feeling pool in the pit of her stomach, and a hand reached up to slowly rest a bit below her waistline, as if to try and feel the pulsing warmth beneath her fingertips. If his lips…

Her hand shot away from her stomach to grip the windowsill, her eyes flashing open accompanied by a hushed, surprised gasp. She raised her hand to cover her parted lips, ducking her head from the blush spreading across her cheeks. She was being childish. She was no longer an innocent schoolgirl; she shouldn't be allowing her fantasies or emotions get the better of her. They had made a promise to each other. A promise to not get involved until everything was over. Until Kikyou was put to rest.

Kagome sighed, looking off into the forest, trying to ignore the stinging that wanted to emerge behind her eyes. There was no guarantee that anything would ever develop between Inuyasha and herself when everything was through, when the jewel was completed. He might decide to use the jewel to bring Kikyou back to life, to become human. Or he may destroy it and go with Kikyou to Hell as he promised.

Either way, she was not part of the picture.

She had always allowed her friends to poke fun at her, set her up on dates with Hojo, and cheat her out of notes… only to later ask to copy her notes, leaving her unprepared for their next test. But she always let them, because they were her friends. Her little brother, now a proud 10-year-old, came up to her one day a while back and asked about her relationship with Inuyasha. She was flustered, and a bit taken aback, but she found herself suddenly unable to speak… she was unable to answer his innocent question, as she herself did not know the answer.

She could have told him there was nothing going on between herself and the hanyou whom her brother had grown to idolize (which she regarded with a nervous laugh and immediately thought of what her little brother _didn't _see, a blessing from the gods), or she could have told him that maybe there was something there her little sibling had yet to see or only suspected. But to tell him that there was nothing or that there was… everything… would both be complete lies.

She bit her lip, closing her eyes. What if she never got a chance to be with Inuyasha? What if, in the end, she handed the jewel to him and went home through the well, never to see him again? Never to run her fingers through the soft, silver tresses, never to feel the velvety softness of his ears, never to embrace him? Never to feel his strong arms around her waist, pulling her close as to never let go?

What was the cruel fate that dragged her here? Why was she here when she would end up back in her time?

A smile crept to her lips despite herself. It didn't matter.

Kagome opened her eyes, her fingers trailing up and grasping the bottle of Shikon shards, gazing at the small collection from within the depths of the sparkling container. If she had never come to this time, she would have never freed Inuyasha, and he would have never had a chance to live. He might have still been pinned to the Goshinboku, never to open his eyes again. And he would have never re-united with Kikyou and realized that they were not betrayed.

She would have never had the chance to love him.

Her smiled dropped into a sadder one as she gazed at the lightly glowing purple. Though, to be able to touch him… to be able to feel his touch in return… to be able to _love _him without fear of another…

She released the small glass container, and turned back to face the inside of Kaede's hut, banishing her thoughts. Kagome made her way back over to the boiling pot of ramen, letting out a surprised squeak when she realized she had left it on its own for a bit too long. "Ah!" The bubbles had overflowed and cascaded over the sides, sizzling as they hit the fire, the noodles beginning to bloat from being overcooked. Kagome ran over to the pot, grabbing it off of the fire and holding out over a cloth, letting the water drip onto the material.

Sighing, she set the pot down on the floor and pulled out a few bowls from her backpack, then turning to evenly distribute the ramen. She set the empty pot to the side and pulled out an array of spices, pre-chopped vegetables and the flavor packets she had set aside earlier, adding them orderly to each respective bowl of noodles. She stood, nodding in approval of her quick handy-work and turned to face the residents of the hut. "Dinner is ready!"

Sango looked up, her Hiraikotsu in mid-swing and smiled brightly, Miroku peeking out from behind his refuge behind his arms, blinking. The monk and taijiya made their way over to the miko, sitting down by the inside fire and selecting one of the finely garnished bowls, kneeling down and picking up a pair of chopsticks. Shippou bounded out of the next room, the small ball of fur streaking past Kagome to find the biggest bowl for himself, Kaede following slowly behind him. Kagome walked over to help the older woman, guiding her towards the fire and helping her kneel down, handing her a warm bowl of noodles and a pair of chopsticks.

"Kagome-sama!" Miroku exclaimed, holding out his bowl and chopsticks in awe. "Your dinner is delicious!"

Sango cautiously blew on the hot soup before delicately grasping the noodles with her chopsticks and tasting them experimentally. She blinked, her eyebrows raised. "Sugoi, Kagome-chan!"

Kaede slowly slurped the broth, and then glanced back up at the teenager with a wise old smile. "It is most wonderful, child."

Shippou nodded ecstatically, too much ramen shoved into his mouth to add his own compliment. Kagome nodded in reply, smiling and looking down at the two remaining bowls. Where was Inuyasha? He usually didn't miss a meal… She knew for a fact that he could smell it a mile away.

Kagome bowed a bit, glancing apologetically at her friends. "Sorry, but I've got to go find Inuyasha before his food gets cold. There was a slight murmur of "umhum's" and "mm's" in reply, her companions far too indulged with partaking in Kagome's concoction to answer her properly. She took it as an initiative to leave, and nodded quickly, exiting the hut through the thatched curtain, out into the cool air of the night.

Inuyasha's ears twitched, picking up the subtle sound of a small insect traveling stealthily towards his forearm, followed by a small inch on his arm. He glared down at the insect, raising his hand and smacking the annoying thing with his palm, his eyebrow ticked. It was what Kagome liked to call a "mosquito".

_Kagome_… he thought to himself for what must have been the twentieth time that day. He thoughts always seemed to trail back to her somehow. Her gorgeous smiles, heart warming and welcoming; her stormy grey-blue eyes, framed softly by her long, charcoal locks, her slender, alluring figure… She had begun to grow her hair out, and it was longer than when she had first appeared through that well two years ago; now it had grown almost past her waist.

Kagome was probably making dinner right about now, her delicate hands working precariously with a small cutting knife and a various array of vegetables for a nice stew… Perhaps she would make a mixed ramen, instead? He was getting used to her cooking for him every night. She caught him watching her once while she was bending over to stoke the fire—she was innocently stoking his own fires in the process—and feigned innocence by saying he was merely observing her cooking, not her nicely rounded backside, carefully concealed by her pleated skirt. (Quite the Miroku feat.) She had offered many times to teach him how to cook, but he of course, refused, saying it was women's work. He got a nice sit for that comment.

He rubbed his neck, strangely unburdened by the light weight of the necklace. He found himself constantly rubbing there, as if reminiscing of its absence. Which was, of course, absurd… it wasn't like he _missed_ it or anything. It was just a bit strange, not having that rosary there, as if he had lost a small connection with Kagome by loosing the beaded necklace.

It had been a bit of an accident, loosing the rosary, and it was mostly his fault. He and Kagome were having another argument, and it just kind of… happened…

"Go back?"

Kagome clasped her hands in a pleading gesture, gazing up at him with beseeching eyes. "Please? I'll be back right before the sun sets, you won't even know I'm gone!"

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms in contemplation. "Right before the sun sets?"

She nodded vigorously, an appreciative smile on her face. "Yes. Right before it sets. I promise."

Inuyasha frowned, not wanting to say 'yes' to her request, but… he knew he could hold her to her word. If she decided to be late, he could always go through the well and drag her back. However… why did her smile look so forced? He unfolded his arms, not liking the glint in her eyes, his tone skeptical. "Why do you need to go back?"

Kagome's smile wavered, and she laughed nervously. "Oh… its nothing… just going to have fun with my… uh… friend…" she said, her tone VERY unconvincing.

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. What was she hiding? "What kind of 'fun'?" His glare intensified, demanding her to tell him the truth.

"Imnifgiverdate…" she mumbled.

He blinked. Not even his ears could decipher what she had said. "What?"

"I have to go on a date!" she blurted at him in a loud and irritable tone, crossing her arms and turning her head to the side to hide her expression.

Inuyasha's angry demeanor faded a bit, and he cocked his head to the side, not understanding what she had said. "Huh? 'Date'? What's a 'date'?" he questioned, moving he mouth to form the funny shape of the new word from the future, testing its strange sounds on his tongue.

She ducked her head, hiding her face from his view as she answered in a quiet, muffled voice, "It's when you… ah… you go somewhere with someone, but it's just the two of you… doing stuff…"

Inuyasha crossed his arms, still not understanding. "So you're going on a 'date' with one of your friends?" Oh. Good. As long as it's someone he knew. "Which one of your friends are you going with? The one with the curly hair?" he asked, twisting his finger around to emphasize 'curly'.

She shook her head no, raising her hands to bury her distressed expression within their confines.

He blinked, his gaze lifting up in thought. "Oh." He looked back at Kagome, motioning with his hands the hairstyle of one of her other friends. "You mean the one with the really short hair?"

"No…" she mumbled quietly.

"The one with the—"

"None of them!" she cried, ducking more under her bangs.

Inuyasha crossed his arms. "It's someone I don't know?" he asked, his tone skeptical once more. If he didn't know this person, then it might not be such a great idea to go. They might be a demon or something; you never knew with Kagome's abnormal time… "What's her name, then?" he asked.

Kagome was quiet for a long while, turning back to peek at him between slightly parted fingers, her expression looking almost apologetic as she drew her hands away from her face. He raised his eyebrow, confused, opening his mouth to repeat the question when her voice drifted softly up to his ears. "It's not a 'she'…"

He stared at her for a moment, not really sure how to respond, pausing as her words ran in circles through his head.

Not…

A…

She…

"**WHAT!"**

Kagome shrunk back, holding up her hands in front of her as if to shield herself from his barrage of infuriated yelling. "There is NO WAY you are going somewhere with a GUY that I DON'T KNOW!" he shouted, his angry air back within seconds. "I can't believe you would think of going with some WEIRDO that I haven't met! He could be a youkai or something! What if he decides to kidnap you because he find out you have Shikon shards? I won't be able to help you if I'm 500 years in the past, unknowing of what you're doing or where you are! How would you know if I haven't gotten a chance to—"

"**Shut up!"** she cried, throwing her hands over her ears, her eyes squeezed shut.

His mouth snapped shut as if on command, surprised by her sudden outburst. Her hands dropped to her sides, fisting angrily as she glared up at him. He returned the glare, clenching his teeth and flashing his fangs angrily. They continued to glare at each other, before Kagome decided to throw in a little lecture of her own.

"How dare you…" she hissed, her eyes shining with fury. "You have no right to say whom I can and can't go out with! It's MY life, and I can do with it as I want! You are in no position to order me around, much less say whom I chose to go out on a 'date' with!"

"Bullshit!" Inuyasha retorted also fisting his hands so that his claws bit uncomfortably into his palm. "You can't just go out with anyone that you damn well feel like if I don't—"

"Who cares!" she shouted back, her hand shooting out and grabbing his rosary, pulling him down so that he was eyelevel with her, glaring straight into his eyes with her own, viciously stormy ones. "You have NO right to say anything!"

He just glared right back at her, his eyes on fire. "Yes I do, bitch!"

Her eyes became, if at all possible, angrier than before; they seemed to ignite into a flaming pulse of fury, highlighted by a stony crimson and darkened aura, which had Inuyasha shrink back a bit. "You have no right to me," she said through clenched teeth, "You gave me up a long time ago, Inuyasha!"

His reservoir of comebacks somehow died in his throat, and his irate air almost completely disappeared. He was so taken aback he couldn't speak. Her expression immediately sunk to a guilty one, and she bowed her head in embarrassment, looking away from his eyes. "I-I'm sorry… I don't know what made me…"

"You're right," he said quietly. She blinked, looking up at him with a confused and shocked expression, but he knew she was right. He had given Kagome up long ago, when he chose Kikyou. "You're right," he repeated, "It's not my place."

She sighed lightly, continuing to stare quietly at the grass. A long and mildly uncanny silence stretched out between them, only disturbed by the innocent rustling of the leaves from surrounding trees. Kagome sighed again, before turning back to face him, surprising him with a small and weak smile. "So I won't go, then."

He blinked, a bit taken aback by her response, still shaken by her earlier statement. "You… you won't?"

She smiled a small, defeated smiled and nodded. "I won't go." Her smiled brightened a bit, and she looked willingly up at him. "I don't want you being jealous or anything."

His soft expression fell completely, and he began to stutter irritably, "I-I'm not jealous… I don't know what you're getting this kind of shit from…"

Kagome's raised an eyebrow, leaning up a bit. "You're not? Isn't that why you got so angry?" she asked, poking his chest, "You didn't mind until I said it wasn't a girl…"

He sputtered, his mouth opening and closing as his eyes squared on her innocent expression, a small bit of anger bubbling up once more to cover his blatant discomfort. "J-Jealous! Why would I be jealous!" he shouted, his tone rising, "I'm not jealous of YOU!"

Kagome gasped, her eyes widening in shock. Inuyasha knew that was the wrong thing to say, his mouth snapping shut as soon as her lips parted. Her eyebrows drew together, and she looked down, her hand reaching up to curl tightly on the rosary around his neck. Inuyasha gulped. He was about to apologize, but her tone of voice gave him the insinuation that she was more heated than hurt by his comment. "I'm sorry you feel that way…" she said, making to walk off.

Inuyasha swallowed thickly, going to walk after her when he realized that she was still holding onto his rosary. "Um… Kagome…"

"Don't follow me!" she shouted, tugging him along by means of the rosary.

Inuyasha was grabbed her hand. "Then let go of me!" he shouted at her, jerking her wrist, causing her to stumble backwards.

Kagome regained her balance and glared at him, whirling and placing her other hand around her captured wrist. "You let go of ME!" she cried back, tugging for her hands release.

"No!" he yelled back at her, squeezing her hand tighter, not releasing his hold on her wrist in a relentless struggle against her rebelliance.

"YES!" she screamed back at him, her eyes flashing angrily, her previous fury refueled in a defiant act against the overbearing hanyou holding possession of her hand. "Release me!"

Just as Inuyasha released her wrist, she yanked her hand back with a grunt of effort. She gasped, Inuyasha's eyes widening as they heard a sound snap, the string giving way to their demands and snapping in two. Kagome fell backwards, taking half of the string with her, her eyes widened in an expression of pure shock as they both watched the beads fly in different directions, the glossy clay spheres twinkling as they caught stray rays of sunlight on their sides before landing quietly on the grass each in random succession. Kagome held the empty string loosely in one hand, her eyes wide.

Inuyasha couldn't seem to form words, merely staring at the sting held in Kagome's shaking fist, before falling to look over the scattered, black beads littered in the contrasting, green grass. Kagome looked up, shakily catching his gaze, her bottom lip trembling in utter shock. Inuyasha's mouth quirked ever so slightly, and Kagome's shocked eyes narrowed in irritation.

He burst into laughter.

Inuyasha shook he head in remembrance. She couldn't sit him for his atrocious reaction, but she had quickly made amends to that fact by using a Sango-like response and smacking him soundly across the face. He raised a hand to touch his jaw, moving it up and down as if to test its functionality, surprised that even after about a month it was still sore from her slap. Kagome was surprisingly strong when she wanted to be…

It was getting dark, and these annoying bugs had begun to collect in number. He was squishing one right after the other, now. Inuyasha sighed, taking one last look at the horizon and last glimmer of the sun from his precarious "thought" tree, before hopping down from the branch to the ground a few feet below him. He landed deftly on the forest floor, his bare feet silent against the leaf muffled dirt path, his kimono settling lightly around his crouched form. He tilted his head up and sniffed the night air much in a dog-like fashion, before smiling mysteriously and shooting off in the direction of the well.

"Humph…" he mumbled to himself, a small smirk on his features, "She thinks that she can just run off after I told her 'no', huh? Well, we'll see about—"

_Hanyou…_

Inuyasha stopped in mid run, his muscles seizing as he thrust his nimble feet into the dirt ground of the forest path, skidding to a sudden halt, his ears perked. What was that voice?

_Hanyou no Inuyasha…_

His hands curled into fists, his ears twitching as he frantically searched for the source of the voice. "What the hell do you want!" he yelled, his hand reaching to his side and clasping firmly on the tattered handle of the Tetsusaiga, his eyes narrowing as they darted from side to side in search of this bodiless intonation.

_Omai wa ningen tamashii._

"Ningen?"

Kagome let out a high-pitched squeak when she heard what sounded like a twig snapping behind her, whipping around to observe her surroundings behind her. Not even after two years would she ever get used to walking alone in the forest at night. With a small sigh and nervous laugh, she realized that not even after two years, would she ever remember to bring her bow and arrows when doing so…

She took a deep breath, hurrying her step towards the opening of the clearing, smoothing down her skirt in nervousness as she did so. Finally, breathing a sigh of relief, she spotted thee clearing, quickening up her pace to a small jog as the well came into sight. She swiveled her head back, checking for any signs of a hanyou pursuer, breathing in relief when she saw no one behind her.

_Finally, _she thought to herself with a small smile, _I can go home, see my family, and **finally** get a chance to catch up on my school work while catching that nice new flick—_ She crashed into someone's chest, stumbling backwards on rebound. Kagome's hand immediately shot out to steady herself, placing her palm against the "wall" in which she had just collided into as she regained her balance.

A hand shot out and caught her upper arm; she knew immediately who it was as her senses were swamped by a warm scent only she knew so well. "Inuyasha…" she whispered, bowing her head in preparation for his lecture and holding back a self-reprimanding sigh as she imagined his Spanish Inquisition. Why didn't you ask me? Who gave you permission to go running off in the middle of the night? Idiot, you don't even have your bow and arrows…

Well, he must have been a lot angrier than usual, as his grip on her arm tightened considerably, causing her to release a small wince in succession. "Ite…" she cried softly, her hand reaching up to pry off his hand from its constraint on her arm. "You're hurting me…" she whispered, her hands curling on the bare, sweaty surface of his flesh.

Wait a minute…

She paused, allowing her fingers to splay against the smooth texture of his chest, her brow furrowing in confusion. Kagome lifted her other hand, placing her palm on his exposed flesh, running her hands across his naked flesh with a strangely satisfied taint in her grey eyes, still lowered to the ground and shielded by the cover of her bangs. Kagome drew in a deep breath, filling her lungs with his forest scent, suppressing a small gasp as a jolt of concealed desire pooled below her waist; his scent was strangely spiked, as if it had been run through by electricity, triggering a spiced reaction from her body.

He showed no sign of protest, merely standing there and allowing her attentions. Kagome swallowed thickly, mentally admonishing herself for her childish affections, trying to pull her fingers away from his inviting body. However, she was unable to draw away from him, and his grip on her arm tightened ever so slightly, a growl rumbling through his chest and rippling through her fingers to spread satisfyingly through her own body, pulsing strongly in her stomach. Kagome bit her lip to hold back a strangled gasp, running her hands once more over the slick texture beneath her palms.

His hands trailed up her forearm to rest on her shoulders, one trailing down to rest at the small of her back, curling his claws into the soft fabric of her shirt, pressing sensuously against her lower spine. Her eyes slid closed, leaning more towards him, indulging within his overpowering, aromatic scent as he bowed his head, burying it within her hair. As her hands trailed down, she found that her fingertips had abruptly lost the sensation of his smooth muscles, muddled by the feeling of a thick substance and irregular consistency, seeming to stick to her fingers and glide down her hand, as if someone was dribbling un-churned cream down her palm, dripping off the ends of her wrists. It was familiar. Too familiar.

A drowning, coppery smell assaulted her nose and her eyes shot open, locking on the area of his lower abdominal area, where his stomach was covered in a sickeningly large amount of blood, flowing silently from three elongated gashes across his stomach. She drew her hands back as if she had stuck them in an electrical socket, making to jump back as well, but his hands had suddenly tightened on her. She gasped, hesitantly covering his wound in terror; it was pouring out crimson, as if every heartbeat was pumping out a stream of the coppery substance, which had dribbled down and stained his red kimono a dark, deathly burgundy. "Inuyasha!" she cried out, snapping her eyes shut; the amount of blood was making her sick to her stomach, and she could feel its soft dribble trail down her arm to drip off her elbow, trailing sluggishly down and churning her insides. "You're bleeding…"

Inuyasha's hands suddenly squeezed on her arm, and she felt the sharp lengths of his claws pierce roughly through the soft cloth of her school uniform straight into the soft flesh over her skin, followed by a jab of pain. Kagome cried out, feeling a stinging behind her eyes as she forced her eyelids to lift for the purpose of looking towards her arm, her eyes widening at the small specks of warm blood that had begun to stain her white sleeve. She whimpered, finally raising a shaky gaze up to look him in the face, but his face was buried into her hair, blowing short ragged breaths and upsetting small tufts of her locks. He had never hurt her like this; what was wrong with him?

She wanted to help him. He breathed into the smooth curve of her curls, his grip tightening even more, receiving a gasp of pain from her lips. Kagome registered the soft caress of his lips against her hair, and realized that she was not only concerned for his pain. She also wanted to find if their small, interrupted interlude was not unrequited. Kagome raised her head to gaze into the smooth molten amber that she had grown so accustomed to; to find his hurt, to find his reason, to find the hanyou she loved…

But if this was her beloved hanyou, she though with a sudden, sickening throb of panic, then why were his gorgeous amber eyes suddenly staring down at her with a sharp, poisonous scarlet?

Yay! Done! The plot has _finally _come into play, sorry to keep you waiting. If you didn't get the Japanese, its okay, its implied in the context clues, so it should be obvious what the voice was saying. (You can always look in a dictionary) Hopefully you enjoyed the small bit of angsty-lime at the end. Until next time! Ja (hopefully matte) ne!


	3. Loss of Mind

If you were one of the reviewers who didn't know what the Japanese was, I wanted to leave it open in the last chapter so that you could kind of figure out what it meant on your own… because if I translated the Japanese flat

out, it would have lost the suspense I wanted to create in adding the unknown phrases into the context of Inuyasha's 2nd person. In short, I'm not going to tell you what it means, for plot purposes. If you really want to know, go to Google, search Japanese-English dictionary, and look the words up (if you _really_ want to know), but as forewarning its just a jumble of meanings that won't hold any water until much later chapters.

Well, here's chapter three, out much earlier than I had originally planned. Enjoy my kind of frequent update! Hopefully I'll be more consistent… shoots self for readers

And remember, this is going to start getting pretty dark… and very adult. This chapter will be a glimpse of what is to come. Consider this your warning for future chapter content. ;

Disclaimer: Only in my fantasies do I own such a wonderfully syndicated anime…

_Corrupted Thought_

_Chapter 3: Loss of Mind_

_By: Kaji-chan_

Kagome eyes were wide with fear, the breath lodging in her throat.

Inuyasha had transformed.

She screamed.

The warm entity of his amber eyes, the striking gold that she lost herself in, was no longer such a striking shade of her adoration, but rather of the complete opposite. His pupils had contracted to almost slits; an ice blue which penetrated through her, piercing her within and sending a trembling roll of fear down the length of her spine, much different that the timid shiver of affection previously inhabiting her senses mere moments before. When she had fallen under the illusion of his returned affection. When she had naïvely believed that in his arms, he may somehow elude her to believing he may love her back.

Yet she was overcome by a conspicuous terror, alarmed by the loss of his familiarity within the swallowing depths of glowing red eyes. Her body had seized up in a panic-stricken tense, the fingers pressed against his gaping, bleeding wound stiffening as they pushed in opposition to the free-flowing gash on his front. She could feel the liquid ooze down the length of her arm, and her fear doubled.

She was afraid of him.

But she was more afraid _for_ him.

Her eyes were torn away from his as she looked down to stare horrifically at the blood loss matted across the torn bottoms of what was left of his haori, most likely torn away from his body in the process of his violent renovation process from hanyou to full-blooded youkai. His wound was three profound lacerations across his abdomen, their full depth drowned within a never-ending flow of scarlet bereavement, as if he had plunged his claws into his stomach and ripped outwards, shredding his clothes along with his rage. She felt a sob wrack her chest, her breathing retracting to gasps as tears welled up in her eyes. Her forearms began to tremble, as if her crying was traveling throughout the entirety of her body, descending down her shoulders to tingle the very ends of her fingertips. "Inuyasha…" she whispered, choked.

The grip on her shoulders increased in intensity, and she felt the full length of his claws dig into the tender surface of her human flesh, warm blood dampening her school uniform and sticking uncomfortably to her skin as a sharp lance of discomfort pitched from her wound. Kagome winced, gasping in a small bout of pain with parted, frozen lips. Her gaze shakily rose to his, finding them locked with the sapphire intensity that burned through her core and unsettled her insides, as if she had consumed a plateful of poor repast that hadn't come to agree with her stomach. She felt weak at her knees, as if someone had torn her support from underneath her to render her unequipped with an active equilibrium prone to her use, wobbling on her frail support. Kagome's hands slipped on his abdomen through her loss of balance, feeling more blood blossom over the sides of her fingers to slope down the length of her elbow and pool on the ground, the clots of blood thickly coating her palms all the way down the length her fingers. She was going to throw up…

A small smirk grew on his features, his eyes narrowing in a malicious contempt, the purple slashes on his cheeks creating an opposing shadow that darkened his wicked expression with malicious contempt. A sob escaped her, and he raised an eyebrow in a cruel grin, as if drinking in her fear with a vicious thirst. His eyes sparkled with anything but hatred, however; the blue seemed to be tainted by a vindictive satisfaction, and also something else—a something else that sent an awkward tingle to roll down her spine and electricity to seize her stomach with an unsettling sensation of anxiety—which she could not place. His icicle pupils slithered across her face, finding every division of her expression a jolt of reparation to his nefarious mentality. He smirked, wild hair edging his expression of insanity, ruthlessness, and slaughtering hunger.

Yet there was something different in his eyes than his usual blood lust or psychosis. He stared through her, piercing into the very depths of her soul and causing a shudder to wrack her chest in a suffocating clench. Her clouded eyes slid in and out of focus under the scrutiny of his stare. He seemed to be searching her for something. And suddenly, Kagome came to a shocking realization, even as he smirked down on her, his claws forming scars on her upper arms and his deathly wound bleeding onto her crimson-stained hands. It wasn't insanity that she saw in his eyes.

It was a wicked sanity.

She could see, though nothing of his expression constituted any emotion remotely human or of human origin, that he was fully processing every thought, though through a filter of homicidal and purely instinctive exploit. Which meant that he was completely aware of elongated claws digging permanent abrasions in her shoulders, and that he was also aware of every shuddering, fearful breath she took in his grasp.

His eyes dropped from hers to slither down the length of her neck, staring at it with a fierce intensity, at which she froze and swallowed thickly. His hand retracted from her shoulder, sliding easily out of the blood-slick, open flesh in her arm to slither across towards her neck, resting his calloused hand to the soft curve of her throat. Kagome bit her lip as he ran his claws lightly over the flesh of her throat; feeling the nauseating sensation of her own blood smearing against her skin, flinching against the taunting circles he made with the incisive tip of his claws, knowing very well that with the slightest flick of his wrist, she would find herself fighting to breath.

His smirk only widened, his cold blue eyes boring into hers, and she felt as if her vision was suddenly swamped in a red glow. And then, the malformed Inuyasha did something Kagome had never suspected.

"Silly girl…"

He spoke.

His voice was haggard and rough, as if run over by sandpaper and calloused by decades of misuse. She tore her eyes from his, focusing widened pupils on the calloused surface of the ground in fear of seeing the true nadir of his eyes. "I wonder…" he rasped, his hand sliding back and forth over the arc of her throat, drawing a circle on the fragile flesh with the light touch of his claw. "…if you could still love such a corruption."

She gasped, finding herself unable to breathe. Was he insinuating…? Kagome raised her eyes to the small smirk of his lips, to the irony glittering in his eyes, horrifyingly puzzled by such an insinuation. His eyes slid closed, and he lowered his head to bury his nose in the crook of her neck, a harsh growl rumbling in his throat. She opened her mouth to respond with a hoarse whisper of question, not understanding such an insanely shrewd inquisition.

In place of an explanation, she found her confusion jerked back into the shocking reality of torn veracity, swirled around the rough sensation of a sultry warmth raking over the tender flesh of her throat. Her eyes widened as the muscles throughout her body seized in apprehension, her thought freezing from motion to come to a traumatized standstill.

Inuyasha's tongue was on her neck.

Kagome raised two violently shaking hands to his chest, as if to push him away. Her hands slid on his chest, slick from blood and trembling with fear. Her fingers brushed timidly against the exposed, damp surface of his flesh, pressing her shivering fingers against such burning contrast as if afraid of being burned. Kagome let a shuddering twist flow through her body as he ran his tongue hotly along curve of her neck, finding she comprehended with starling clarity—she couldn't push him away.

His elongated fang raked across the pulse in her throat, sending a jolt of panic through her body so powerful that her eyes flashed in alarm. "I-Inu… yasha…" she rasped, afraid that the slightest motion may influence him to sink his fang into her neck in a very vampire-like fashion.

He drew his fang away from her throat, but did not remove his lips from her paling skin. "Are you afraid?" he whispered, his lips brushing against her flesh, too gentle and subtle to constitute the monster he had become. She didn't respond. She didn't move. She didn't breathe.

Yes.

She was afraid.

His claws retracted from her flesh, slithering around her back to run their sharp points against the soft curve of her lower back, raising small welts in the small of her back. A wave pitched up her spine to tingle at her neck, and a powerful throb coursed through her center, whether of emanating fear or something beyond her own desire. "I like you scent…" he hissed as she tried to will herself to draw away, finding her legs frozen and immobile. Her body wouldn't respond to her plea. "I like your scent when you fear me." She contained a gasp.

Yes.

She was very afraid.

"When you fear my power over you."

She was so very… afraid.

With a jagged intake of air, almost mistaken constitution of a shortened gasp, she gathered a small bout of courage and forced her body to shift, pulling out of his twisting grip. Not waiting for a response from the youkai, she squeezed her eyes shut and threw her arms around his neck, burying her cheek into his chest. She felt him draw in a sharp breath, his muscles stiffening in shock within her gentle embrace, so starkly contrasted to his own. "Inuyasha!" she cried, her voice muffled by his front, as if crying out to attain the recollection obscured within a haze so uneasily penetrated by naught but her desperate voice, reaching out to touch the soul which had fallen from her grasp, to save the heart which had disappeared beneath a mask of crimson fault. "Please… come back…"

He seemed to hesitate, remaining unmoving. "Please!" Her voice seemed feeble and weak, overshadowed and smothered by his darkened and potent existence. "Don't leave, Inuyasha…" Her tone cracked, panic rising in her chest as he remained unresponsive to her calls, feeling her throat tighten and pinch her voice to a hysterical scream. "Come back to me!"

She waited, clutching to his neck and pressing her cheek against the soft flesh of his lower shoulder. His presence seemed to wrap around her, repressing her hopes and smothering them with shadow doubt, licking at her exposure almost tangibly, wrapping around her shoulders, seeping through her senses; suffocating her. "Please…" she said, quieter this time, her strength torn and shredded in her rasped whisper.

Two hands brushed against her shoulder; lightly, frighteningly. Kagome felt herself unconsciously flinch away from the contact, biting her lips and ducking her head deeper into the crook of his neck. The hands retracted, as shocked by contact. Timid. Unsure. Afraid. A soft gasp escaped her lips, her hands tightening on the haori to the pinnacle of her white, raw knuckles. Kagome slowly opened her stormy grey eyes, but did not look up.

"Ka… Kagome…?"

"Inuyasha…" she whispered in reply, raising her gaze to meet the familiar gaze of molten amber, harsh of youth and soft of concern, meeting the relieved pool of blue-grey in her own orbs, a small smile reaching her lips. His brows had drawn together, and he looked reproached and shamefaced, as if wanting to draw away in alarm. His eyes traveled from her dirt-smudged cheek to the light bruises on her neck, to the blood stains on her arms, and then to pause at the blood smeared across the front of her school uniform, his expression receding into a stronger remorse with every passing second. "Inu…" she began, but could not finish.

"What have I done?" he asked, his voice quiet and barely above a whisper.

She turned her gaze from his searching eyes, concealing her veiled response. How could she tell him?

"You hate me."

She gasped, her gaze snapping up to his unreadable expression. Before she could open her lips to reply, he stepped backwards, ripping her arms from around his neck and tearing off into the woods, leaving behind only a small pool of blood at Kagome's feet as trace of his trespass. She watched as he disappeared into the depth of night, clutching a bloodied hand to the front of her already crimson stained chemise, her eyes trained onto the darkened brush long after he disappeared into its abyss.

She dropped her gaze to the ground, remaining silent. Her eyes seemed to trail upwards, brushing over the smooth surface of the ancient well, its soft wood gazing at her with a tempting glow. She stared at the wooden structure. Just a few steps and she could escape it all… She continued to stare at it, silently, lost within her thoughts.

Her legs wobbled, as if the feeling in them had drained, pooling on the ground at her feet. Kagome's eyes fluttered, feeling her eyes roll back as her knees gave out completely, her knees slipping thickly in the small pool of hanyou blood in the soft, night hollow grass as her body fell heavily to the forest floor. Her eyes fell heavily on the wooden structure before her once more, as if her gaze was forced to the bleak partiality of cowardice positioned silently before her. A dull throb began to pulse from her abused knees. Kagome regarded it inattentively, her indifference focused on what loomed before her.

Her resolve evaporated as quickly as it had come, and a choked sob escaped her as she dropped her head into her hands, tearing her gaze away from the well. "I could never hate you."

Kagome knelt by the stream, watching disgruntled swells ripple outwards as she disturbed the water with furious scrubbing. Pink tinted the liquid glass pooled around her bloodstained high school uniform, the crimson hue slowly rubbing off and diluting into the brook. She lifted the soaked top out of the water, grabbing a bottle of bleach and squeezing the blue gel onto the cloth, rubbing it into the crimson stains before dunking the shirt underwater again, repeating her insistent washing.

The stream reflected a dark shimmer, as the sky had faded into a young night, waning to evening with every slow, passing moment. The cool air of the twilight breeze tickled her bare arms as dark shadows were cast on her skin, appearing pale and almost transparent in the moon's hollow glow.

She was kneeling before the water, stripped down to her bra and underwear as she washed her soiled clothes, her thoughts straying wearily to the events of the past hour. She had returned to Kaede's hut, shakily, and discovered everyone else to be fast asleep, her and Inuyasha's ramen long since run cold. Kagome crept to her bag, reaching in a pulling out a spare pair of clothes by guide of the fading embers of the tiny fire. Sango only woke briefly, muttering a quiet good night before rolling over and falling back into slumber once more. Not wanting to change and leave out her uniform, now covered in blood, up for explanation the following morning, she decided to find a nearby stream and wash the substantiations away, as she would most likely not be recieving any sleep after the night's occasions.

She had accomplished mission "seize pajamas", but was failing miserably in mission "destroy evidence".

Kagome sighed, humming a soft tune under her breath; it was light and pretty, a graceful hymn she had picked up long ago from a small group of village children. Thinking of such and humming had always helped her moods, and she was in dire need of a better one than she possessed at the moment. Kagome thought of their smiling faces, a small smile tugging at her own lips. The smile, however, did not reach her eyes.

A sigh fluttered past her lips to tickle the air touching her cheeks. It wasn't much use to pretend to be cheerful when she wasn't…. yet she was so used to faking her smiles around others as not to pull down spirits for her own selfish reasons. She was the one who brought smiles to other's faces… not take them away. Now it was habit to be constantly optimistic and shallowly positive. Even though her emotions sometimes lacked the heartfelt meaning of her younger days, she had grown to realize that playing on them long enough would eventually strike the right note; eventually her forged smile would become a real one.

In this sense, she was hoping that singing a brightening tune may lift her mood; it had darkened very much so. Not darkened necessarily in anger of any sort, but more of a saddened, depressive darkness which had enveloped her since her most recent encounter with Inuyasha…

The young miko paused, her hands halting over the sodden material as she attempted to remember the lyrics to the song. It would do her no good to dwell on depressing thoughts; perhaps focusing on a cheery tune would help her to bury her demoralizations. "Ah!" she exclaimed lightly under her breath in remembrance.

She sat up, raising a dampened finger to her lips and tapping them lightly as she recalled the words. "_As I look up into the dark sky," _she hummed, returning to her work, "_I ask the stars to lend an ear and hear my prayer…"_

She bent her fingers and twisted the edge of her knuckles into the cloth, kneading it silently. "_Do they hear my prayer?" _she sang, her voice quite and subdued.

"_Do they listen to my crying?"_

Her voice began to waver, and she felt a prickling behind her eyes, but she shook her head, kneading the damp material with more force than before to hide her own distress from herself. "_They do not hear my prayer, and do not hear my crying."_ Her voice cracked slightly, as if the tender notes of her long forgotten lullaby did not want to emerge into the reality from her dreaming distress. _"I look up and see a shooting star…"_

Her chafing slowed, and her impose began to fade from her fingers. _"It falls from the sky."_

Her let her hands fall limp in the cold surroundings of the nightly stream, staring at the unsettle water. She paused, as if daring herself to continue the illusionary tune, leaning over and blinking silently at the calming waters around her hands, stars glimmering on the dark surface of the glass. She drew in a small breath; not singing any longer, merely whispering. "_The sky is crying."_

Kagome reached out, as if allured by the blacked ripples of glass before her. She reached as if to touch it, to feel the smooth trickling between her fingers. She grazed the top of the water with her finger, watching the ripples flutter outwards from the water's disturbance. Knitting her brow, she pressed her palm to the water, allowing it to hover right at its rippling surface, the water tickling the bottom of her palm. A light pulse began to tug at her at her chest.

She licked her lips in concentration, reaching beneath her and pulling forth the pulse, feeling its warmth flow down her arm and seeping to her fingertips, until she could feel the heat all the way down her arm. Narrowing her eyes, she pushed the warmth from her arm to the bottom of her palm, forcing it into a physical form outside of her aura, watching as her entire hand was bathed in a powerful lilac hue. The vibrant purple pulse with her power and shot outwards through the water, waves of its passion soaking into the small lake with an affectionate glow.

A small smile reached her lips as she retracted her hand from the water to stretch out before her, as if to bathe within the soft glow emitted by the purified pool. She felt the soft lilac color sink into her skin and tickle her aura with a soft heat which she had become accustomed to. Her eyes closed in a small bout of euphoria, basking within the sensation of purity which her powers emitted to her.

The soft flutter of a sigh breezed through her, another familiar action. Kagome opened her eyes, her gaze falling to her reflection in the glowing water, her vision soft as she stared into her eyes through the mirror below her. The soft purple hue was beginning to fade from the lake, but it seemed to linger nearest her image.

She watched her reflection blink back at her, stars twinkling around her mirrored image happily. Kagome sighed, plopping back down on her legs and glaring mildly at the still stained shirt. With a small huff, she lifted the sopping wet top out of the stream, wringing out the excess water and laying it down next to her high school skirt, also wet and soggy from washing. In neither case had she been successful in her purge of the bloodstains. She frowned, flicking off excess water from her fingers and pausing. Her meaningless pause stretched to a pregnant pause of meditation, yet what she was musing alluded her.

She mildly glanced around by means to divert her attention away from dangerous thoughts that may appear if she allowed her mind further roaming, ironically landing her gaze on the figure of her scantily clad self. Good thing the nearest signs of civilization were about a quarter of a mile away and sleeping, otherwise they would have gotten a nice fashion show of Kagome's underwear. On that line of thought, she probably wouldn't care _too_ much; be a bit miffed and embarrassed, but such feelings were shallow and would pass… but if it were _Inuyasha_… that was a different story. A halfhearted smile pulled at the corners of her lips, imagining such a comical scene as him walking in on herself half-naked. But the smile dropped as soon as it had come; her humor washed away instantaneously upon her redirection of thought.

Kagome took a slow, deep breath. Well, wherever he was, she hoped he wasn't drowning himself in guilt. His reproached expression flashed across her mind's eye, and she bit her lip. No matter how she tried to divert her thoughts, they always seemed to creep back towards her most recent experience with the hanyou. Her fingers traced silently up her arm to rest tenderly on the three wounds in her left shoulder, twin markings born on her other. It was an experience she would rather forget.

A shiver ran down her spine as she recalled the rough feeling of his tongue over the smooth flesh of her neck, and his claws digging mercilessly into her delicate skin.

But that wasn't the only reason she wanted to forget. She also wanted to forget that he had spoken to her. She wanted to bend the truth so that she could create an illusion of complete innocence on his trial.

There was something different about this youkai Inuyasha… nothing had provoked its release. He had been wearing his Tessaiga, so it should have been impossible; but it wasn't. Would this happen again? Her chest constricted painfully, and she swallowed. It was likely.

His words kept circling in her head.

"_I wonder if you could still love such a corruption."_

Still love. She bit her lip again, feeling a dull throb where her circulation could no longer reach.

He knew that she loved him…

That wild, tempestuous Inuyasha knew that she loved him.

No. He already knew that she loved him… in the sense that she cared for him. No. It was a different type of understanding that she found terrifying. He knew that she was _in_ love with him.

More importantly, he knew that she would love him to the extreme of sacrificing anything for his in return. And he was right.

She would love a corruption.

And yet she trusted that he would not use this against her. But yet it wasn't _her_ Inuyasha who was so aware of her weakness, but his insane, untamed side that clawed at his insides, remaining unsubdued and rebellious. It was this Inuyasha that realized her weakness. And she was sure that this Inuyasha would use it to his own advantage.

"_I like your scent when you fear me."_

She felt a nasty bile rise in her throat.

"_When you fear my power over you."_

Power. Kagome reached up to clasp the vile around her neck, feeling a warm, purified pulse beneath her fingertips. "Shikon no Tama…" she whispered, her warm breath charming her lips. It seemed now, ever since she had begun to develop her spiritual powers, that she had developed a stronger connection with the jewel's powers. The Shikon could either calm her or destroy her. According to legend and past, unfortunately, she was destined for the latter.

Well, she never believed in predetermined fate, anyway.

The miko dropped her hand, turning to the rumpled pile of her pajamas, slipping silently into the downy confines of the silken cloth. She pulled her arms through the shirt, letting it slide over her head and over her chest to hang loosely over her stomach. Pulling on her pants, she let the waist dangle heavily around her hips, smoothing the front of her shirt over her chest. Sighing, she reached down and picked up her clothes, still soaked through and smelling strongly of bleach, folding them and slinging them over her arm.

She bent down and picked up her bow and arrows, slinging them over her shoulder and sighing in relief. Thank God, she actually remembered them for once. Taking a deep breath, she breathed in the filling scent of the forest before starting off down the path towards the village.

It didn't take long for her to reach the small hut of the old miko. She hung her wet clothes on a nearby, low hanging branch, slapping the wet material with her palm for good measure before slipping into the precincts of the small house. Her eyes darted around the dimly lit room. Everyone seemed to be asleep…

Kagome crept around the sleeping forms of her companions, stepping nimbly over the futons to the corner in which her sleeping bag lay. She darted another glance around the room before gently nudging Shippou over to the side, whispering a quiet apology to the slumbering kitsune child as he whined from loss of warmth. She lifted up the fold of the sleeping bag to slide in—and was roughly jerked back from her bed.

A shrill squeak was effectively muffled by means of a hand over her mouth, another around her front to hold her arms down from lashing. A voice whispered into her ear, causing her back to go taut in alert, "Be silent! Don't wake everyone up! I only wish to speak with you!"

By their hushed tone, she couldn't determine who's voice it belonged to, but she nodded none-the-less, her body still rigid in anxiety. The figure, masked by the darkness of the hut, was also indistinguishable. They didn't waste any time, however, and jerked her arm in the direction of the small kitchen. Whoever it was knew their way around pretty well, but it didn't exactly help the alarm bell going off in the back of her head to get away from this person.

As soon as they had made it into the kitchen, the figure hastily pulled down the separating thatched curtain and tied it, then walked over to the window, pulling away the bamboo shade to reveal themselves, basked in the soft glow of the moonlight. "Kagome… there's something we need to talk about."

Until next time! (Hopefully that's soon)

Kaji-chan


	4. Stolen

Well, before I hit off another fun chapter, I just wanted to slip in a little notification; I'm way too lazy to be a frequent updater like Rozefire... (I swear, she updates at least twice a week, I have no idea how she does it!) So, you can ready your flamethrowers for the end of the chapter to singe my ass and get me writing again. Most writers hate being bugged to update, but I actually need the motivater, considering all the crap going on at home. Just as long as it's more like, "I hope you update soon... since I can't wait to read your next chapter because you're such a WONDERFUL author..." (Are you trying to flatter me? 'Cause its workin', babe...) and hopefully NOT "You better fing update right fing now or I'm going to come to your fing house and fing KILL YOU!" (because then I'll cower in a corner in my closet and never write again...)

Uh... Yeah.

Sorry again for the late chapter.

And, on a side note, I would like to... cackles announce that this _will_ be an Inuyasha/Kagome fanfiction... if you haven't figured that out already. Just for that certain reviewer who asked me.

Corrupted Thought

Chapter Four: Stolen

By: Kaji-chan

Kagome turned her eyes away... her vision assaulted by stark change in lighting, the once dark room flooded by a pale white glow, illuminating the figure before her. It was the figure of a lone woman, clothed by responsibilities long forgotten and the hint of darkened pathways. She stood before Kagome in many more ways than just physical manifestation.

"Kikyou..." Kagome breathed.

"Kagome," she whispered back, her tone soft... cautious.

The young miko was unsure how to reply, merely watching a mirrored look in the other woman's eyes. It was almost as if she were wearing a similar expression... a similar expression of apprise and insecurity which also found home to Kagome's orbs.

"Kagome..." she whispered again, once again a reflection of hesitance. "I'm afraid I must be brief."

Her eyebrows pinched, watching Kikyou with confusion. "Brief? Wha--"

A finger pressed to her lips in a request for silence. "Please. Do not speak. Only listen." Kagome was still puzzled, but remained silent to her words. "I have felt a fluxuation in the magic which resides here. Have you felt such a disturbance?"

Kagome was held from speech. Fluxuation? If she was speaking of the horrified tingling sensaton that fluttered down her spine about a minute before Inuyasha grabbed her by the shoulders and terrified her... then yes. If she was speaking of Inuyasha's strange behavior and then his transformation into youkai... then yes. If she was speaking of her mere presence here, unexpected, appearing before her without warning... then yes. Well, perhaps it would be wise to not akwnowledge such to Kikyou when Kagome was as of yet unsure as to her motive. Holding back any explicit details, Kagome nodded slightly, tentatively.

Kikyou reciporacated the nod, her eyebrows lowering in thought. "I see."

Kagome watched her quietly... unsure. "I will be keeping a keen eye on your movements. There is something that resides here which perturbs me."

But more importantly, why was Kikyou telling her this? Why was Kikyou even in the same room as her without an arrow aimed at her throat? "Ah... Kikyou--"

"Listen carefully Kagome, for this will be our only confrontation for a while, as I am to be departing shortly..." Kagome puzzled over this thought as she continued, "And because of such, I am placing the responsibilities of Inuyasha's safety with you." Her eyebrow twitched. "Be alert. This one will strike when you least expect it."

" 'This one', you said... but how--"

She was gone.

People seemed to be doing that a lot to her lately.

A smirk crossed her lips as a wise twinkle illuminated her eyes. "Magic, hm?" She bit her lip, feeling the soft pressure of a fang on her lips. Her fingers itched for the folds of her kimono, but she held them stationary by her sides. "I wonder what she's talking about?"

Her question lingered in the air, unanswered.

"Perhaps not."

The woman hopped down from her perch above the small hut, landing silently on the ground. The only disturbance of sound was the soft flutter of her kimono as she rolled off the balls of her feet to stand, her shoulders set back in comfortably air position. That miko's aura perturbed her with curiousity. Though seemingly dead, she was not absent of the normal vibes she tended to get from... living things. She seemed to be perceptive of her surroundings, but far too dangerous to interact with at the moment. The other woman, however...

She was trusting, optimistic, and powerful.

She was perfect.

Of course, it was no secret that this girl... Kagome... that her powers had reached far beyond that of her half-dead predecessor. She was difficult to sway and deathly loyal. In many ways, she was more of a nucience than she would be anything else in aid to her own situation, but, of the select few choices, she was deemed best fit.

Perhaps this girl's mercy would turn out one for the better.

Kagura smiled.

Kagome was unaware of how long she actually remained awake after the leave of the mysterious miko of sorts, her eyes trained intently on the glowing bottle of shards lying inanimately by her pleasantly plump backpack. The warm pink tickled her nose, dancing stars in her eyes. She stared unblinkingly through the soft glow, unfocused and immersed within a steady stream of inquiring thought.

It was unanamously decided that Kikyou had never been very concerned with Kagome's personal welfare unless it was in direct correlation with that of Inuyasha's, leading to the perturbed expression which contorted the young woman's features. Obviously Kikyou was concerned enough for Inuyasha's well being to inform her of such, but why not tell Inuyasha himself? Surely he was able-bodied enough to take care of himself.

This led Kagome to an even more puzzled inquisition. If it was so important as to inform her, then why was it to be held from Inuyasha's own knowledge, if it concerned his safety? Was Kikyou afraid of something? If so, should Kagome be wary of it as well?

She had also mentioned someone, though no name or description was provided; they appeared to be the "mastermind", as could be put, of this... discrepency. Perhaps they are a sorcerer of sorts? And if so, what could their intentions be? If it concerned Kikyou, they must be enough to where Kagome would have much difficulty in future hidrances with this person, whoever they are.

Kagome closed her eyes, a sigh escaping her lips. Perhaps sleeping on it would do some good? At the moment, the only connection she could make between Kikyou's warning and any past events was Inuyasha's unexpected transformation, but... if he was under the influence of a spell, she definately would have sensed it.

Wouldn't she?

Her eyelids began to droop, and Kagome felt her train of thought beginning to stray. Perhaps it would be a good idea to just sleep on it? Inuyasha would be back by morning, and she would just talk to him about all this. Besides, it was about him, wasn't it?

She wasn't able to complete the thought as she slipped into a restless night of distraught dreams.

Kagome awoke quietly, her eyes squinting against the harsh rays of sunlight against the fogginess of unrest. She sat up slowly, waiting as consciousness began to filter back into her, blinking as she did so. It took a few moments of sitting up in bed and staring blankly at the wall before the previous night's thoughts came back to her.

She looked around the still hut, her eyes searching. It seemed as if he had yet to return. Perhaps it would be in proper place for her to look for him; after Kikyou's warning, she couldn't leave him out by himself, especially in the condition he left in. While she was out, she might as well do a bit of research of this... influence that had come to her attention. It seemed that the best way to go about this would be to begin where this had started... with who this seemed to root from; Kikyou.

It was time for a bit of investigation.

She crept quietly out of her sleeping bag, reaching towards her yellow backpack. She knelt down, fishing out of it her only other change of clothes. She found that bringing a change of clothes was beginning to be a bit of a necessity, since it was so rare that she could wash her dirty, stinky, and sometimes, bloody, clothes in a river. Having that extra set was always a plus.

With a small smile of triumph, she pulled out a familiar dark blue top and light blue skirt. It was what she had dubbed her "study attire", as it was what she always wore when she was at home making up for her excessive absences. Standing, she slipped quietly out of her pajamas and into the skirt, pulling it up to settle at her waistline before pulling the longsleeve shirt over her head. Her attention then turned to the doorway as she straightened her shirt. There was just one more thing she needed to do before she set off.

Sighing, she slipped out into the sunlight. Before she left anywhere, she needed to move her blood-stained uniform out of sight. She couldn't let her friend's know what was going on... not just yet. Not until she, herself, found out what was going on.

Kagome pulled the skirt and blouse from the branches, feeling soft and clean from their airdry. Unfortunately, the stains were not successfully purged, and still gleamed subbornly in her face. She frowned at the clothes, slowly moving back into the hut to hide them in her backpack. They wouldn't go through her things unless they knew something was up, and sincce they didn't know _yet_, it would be wise not to provoke any unneeded knowledge. Right?

Besides, this wasn't about the "bad presence" that Kikyou was talking about. This was about Inuyasha, and his odd transformation the other night. If she told Miroku and Sango about it, they wouldn't let her venture off by herself or with Inuyasha until they found out what was going on, and who knew how long that would be? She wasn't being impatient, she just _really_ needed to talk to Inuyasha alone about this.

Not only that, but she had a strange feeling that Kikyou's appearance the night before, right after her odd encounter with Inuyasha's transformation, was not complete coincidence. Not that Kikyou had anything to do with the transformation, necissarily, but anything about the three of them needed to stay within the three of them. It would be unfair to drag her friends along with personal matters.

Though, this wasn't really a _personal_ matter... She felt oddly like it was, though her common sense was telling her that she was just trying to complicate things. Not that she _wanted_ anymore complications with Inuyasha and Kikyou. It was bad enough, wasn't it?

She sighed, crawling over to her backpack and flipping over the flap. She moved around the books and packages of ramen around in her bag to make room, wincing as the wrapping on the ramen crinkled loudly in the still quiet of the room.

"Kagome-chan?"

Kagome quickly stuffed her clothes into the bag and turned to the voice, resting on the half sleeping form of her friend, one eye cracked open lazily to gaze at her. Sighing, Sango forced both her eyes open, slowly propping herself up on her elbow to stare blankly at Kagome. "Where are you going?" she mumbled, her eyes fluttering as they seemed to demand more sleep.

"Ah..." Kagome glanced outside fleetingly, and them looked back at Sango. She seemed too tired to have noticed her nervous glance. "I was... going to fetch something I left in the forest last night," she said, stumbling over the lie awkwardly. She was never a very good liar.

Sango raised a sleepy eyebrow at her, though fairly sleep-dazed, picking up on her fumbling with a keen eye. "Really?"

"R-really..." she stuttered, forcing a convincing smile on her features.

The taijiya sighed again, mumbling tiredly to herself as she pushed herself up to a sitting position, grumbling sleepily to herself as she retied her obi and readjusted the neckline of her yukata from its sleep-touseled position. She ran her fingers through her tangled hair, an irritable exhale fluttering against her lips as her fingers were repeatedly caught within a knot. She gave up on her hair, glancing towards Kagome again. "Do you need me to help you look for it?" she asked, stifling a yawn.

Kagome waved her hands in a dismissive manner. "Oh, no! I'll be fine," she brushed off, convincing her with a nod. "If I'm not back in five, you can come get me," she assured her.

Sango glanced at her with an unreadable expression. "Okay... but if you're not back in five minutes, I'm coming to get you," she said, frowing at her.

Kagome smiled in reassurance. "Please, don't worry about me," she said as she slipped through the doorway into the afternoon sun.

Sango frowned at slowly waving door flap, pursing her lips. She wasn't telling her something.

No matter how many times he had walked this trail before, it still seemed strange and foreign to his memory. Every step he took along the tangled pathway, the un-traversed road towards a place that he revered and despised at a similar instance of feeling. It was a sanctuary of reference where he commonly composed himself a disposition of hatred, guilt, and remnicence.

Kikyou's grave.

He sometimes came here to seek a sense of calm. He never understood why he did this. It was some strange feeling that would pull him towards this place whenever he was confused or angry. Perhaps he found inner peace here; yet this possibility was ruled as an impossibility, for in no instance was he at peace in the memory of her death.

It was for such reason that he came to a conclusion; going to her grave was not a place where he found tranquility or understanding, it was where he was faced with the painful suffocation of his life's mistakes and failed attonements. It was where he realized that even though he knew Kikyou would not return the feelings which he held for her, they would never disappear. It was also where he first discovered that his love for Kagome was equal to, if not surpassing, his love for Kikyou, and that he would never be able to give any of it to her.

So, perhaps, this shrine to the dead was more of a clamp upon his soul; something that drew out his life and willingness to live. Something that would forever scar him.

His unfocused eyes came into focus as he realligned his thoughts with his forward moveent, looking before him into the break in the trees, already feeling a pull at his chest as he spotted the tombstone and small memorial shrine glinting in the sharp intensity of the day's light. Yet this small twang in his chest did not amount to half of what strained his heart as he spotted a familiar figure kneeling before the grave; a figure which, in its own irony, was looking at the buried spirit of herself.

Kagome.

He felt a sudden flash of pain assault him, clutching his head as it exploded into pain. "What the--" he hissed through clenched teeth. He leaned awkwardly against a tree as the bright sunlight flickered in his vision, slowly darkening to a grey blur as the pain in his temples was so great that it drowned out the sun.

"Ka...gome..."

Her eyes gazed at the kanji etched into the tombstone, retracing it again with the gentle touch of her fingertips, memorizing the name of her identical soul, an odd glimmer in her eyes. She watched the soft glint of sunlight reflect off of its smooth surface, her expression soft as she was immersed in thought. "Kikyou..." she whispered, the name heavy on her lips.

If this was where her questions began, perhaps this would be the sanctity where they would be answered.

She closed her eyes, drawing in a slow, soft breath as if for courage. Her eyes lifted, lingering on the softly padded dirt before her, as if the earth would reach up through her fingers and possess her with answers.

Who was Kikyou talking about when she came to her? Was is someone that they knew, or had crossed paths with in the past? If so, what kind of grudge did they hold against her and Inuyasha?

Perhaps it wasn't someone she knew. Maybe it was someone from Inuyasha's past or... from Kikyou's past?

She squeezed her eyes shut, his hands raking into the ground, curling into fists against the soft dirt as she was overwhelmed by aggravation. She wasn't answering anything. All this was doing was creating more annoying questions left unanswered.

Unless... it had something to do with _her_ past? But that made no sense... wouldn't she remember something like that? And Kikyou surely would have been more specific if Kagome had encountered it before, right?

A sigh escaped her lips, her fingers weakening against the ground as her breif bit of anger melted away, leaving her feeling strangely refreshed. Perhaps she should leave this to her grave. Perhaps Kikyou would find a solution without Kagome's help. Besides... it wasn't really her problem anyway. It wasn't like she was being affected by this new... situation. Well, not yet anyway.

She felt a familiar sensation tingle down the back of her spine, and a warm feeling pulled at the back of her conscious. She would know that presence anywhere. "Eh?" she said, turning her eyes from the tombstone. She hadn't even noticed him approach her. Kagome smiled. "Inuyasha, you could have said something, you..."

She trailed off, her smile fading. "Inuyasha...?"

Sango glanced out the door, one eyebrow cocked as she crossed her arms. "Its been a bit longer than five minutes..." she mumbled.

There was something about that look that Kagome had given her right before she left... something that gave her the chills, but she didn't know why. Something definately wasn't right. Why would she have run off like that, especially so early in the morning? And to give her such a lame excuse in return for her questions...

The taijiya sighed, turning to her neatly folded futon, her eyes resting upon the boomerang lying next to it. "Perhaps I should go check on her?" she murmered, moving towards her weapon.

"Is something wrong, Sango?"

She shifted her gaze to the other corner of the room, blinking at Miroku. "Eh? What do you mean?"

She watched tensely as the monk slanted her a curious look. "You have been staring at that window for quite some time, now. I would have said earlier, but..."

"No, nothing is wrong..." she said, taking a step away from Hiraikotsu. "I just... I'm waiting."

Miroku folded his arms, nodding. "Kagome-sama has not come back, yet?"

Sango seemed a bit startled by his words, staring at his expression. "You knew?"

"I heard you speaking this morning," he responded calmly.

She felt another sigh pause against her lips, and her arms dropped from their crossed position to hang by her sides. "I don't know why she would lie to me," she said, her eyebrows drawn together as she pondered the morning's events with concern. "What would she have to hide?"

Her eyes strayed to Kagome's backpack. What did she stuff in there this morning that she was so hasty to hide from her?

The monk nodded again, almost gravely, and stood. "Perhaps it is something trivial... I'm sure if it was of importance that she would inform us without much hesitation."

"I know, but..." Sango closed her eyes. After a short pause, in which she took a slow, deepened breath, she lifted her lashes to gaze across at Miroku's still, observing form. "What if it _is_ important, and she just doesn't know, yet?"

Miroku walked towards her, placing a hand upon the lip of the windowsil, looking out into the morning's forest line. "Are you speaking of the night before?"

She bit her lip, nodding. "I just... I can't shake that horrible feeling I got. Something was going on by the well."

Miroku turned, laying a consoling hand on her shoulder. "If it would put your mind at ease, I will accompany you to investigate."

Sango smiled softly, looking down shyly at his hand. "Yes... thank you... I--"

For some reason, she wasn't too surprised by the familiar carress on her backside, nor the reflexive slap that followed in response to the light squeeze. "Thank you, houshi-sama..." she hissed, clenching her fist as she forced herself to look beyond his absence of his morals and concentrate on the matter at hand.

Miroku sighed, folding his arms into his robes and ignoring the handprint adorning his cheek with the utmost expertise. "I'm sorry, Sango. It was reflexive."

"Of course it was..." she muttered, reaching down and clasping the tassle of Hiraikotsu, grunting as she lifted it over her shoulder. "Lets go, then, shall we?" She turned to him with an expectant glare. "Well? Aren't you going to--"

A gasp reached her lips. He was taut, his eyes wide as he looked out the window. She followed his gaze, feeling her chest clench in a terrified anticipation. "What is it, houshi-sama?"

He grabbed his staff, the rings jangling as he turned to her, hands gripping the shakujou with tight, white knuckles. "Do you feel that, Sango?"

She nodded, biting her lip.

"Lets go."

"Inuyasha!"

Her lips trembled as her gaze fixed upon his form. A smirk had stretched across his expression, and he flexed his claws before him, their length glinting in the harsh sunlight. It wasn't until she laid eyes upon this form in the light of day that she could truely see its horror.

He took slow, haggard steps towards her, his feet dragging upon the ground as he made his way forward. She felt herself take a stumbling step back, away from the menacing grin glinting in his red eyes, and froze. Was she running?

Kagome's terrified expression faltered, and her eyebrows drew low above her eyes as she narrowed them in determination. No. She would not leave him.

His smirk slowly faded as he observed her frown, a disapproving frown of his own contorting his already twisted features. He raised a clawed hand before him, as if showing it to her. "Are you... not afraid, girl?" he said, voice raw and disturbingly low-pitched.

A shiver ran up her spine, and she felt her determination faulter again as fear began to strangle the back of her conscious. Of course she was afraid. She was deathly afraid.

But there were more important emotions... more powerful emotions than fear.

"Inuyasha..." she whispered, a crack in her tone. He noted it. "What... what is happening...?" The words she couldn't form the night before were forcing their way through her clenched throat.

"What... is happening...?" he repeated, his words slow and ragged as he seemed to process her question. "What is happening?" he said again, another smirk spreading across his lips, exposing a long fang beneath it. "I have power," he rasped, another chill causing her body to tense.

He took another step forward, watching as her foot staggered, willing her to run, but she did not move. Her hands had begun to tremble, but her expression remained firm as she gazed at him.

He lifted his hand, holding it out before him. Flexing his claws, he slowly drew them to his stomach, watching her with every movement, watching for every slight bout of hesitation in her eyes. She faintly realized that his chest was still bare, as she hadn't had the chance to sew the tear in his haori, and the torn pieces were hanging from a haphazardly tied position at his waist.

He slowly pushed against his stomach, barely wincing as his claws sunk into his abdomen; a gasp escaped her lips. Her determination was beginning to waver, her lips parting, watching him with disbelief and holding her breath.

He suddenly ripped outwards, rending another set of gashes over the scars already lacerated across his front, and a cry wrenched its way through her throat. Without a second thought, she darted towards him, reaching out to pull away his claws, her eyes quivering in concern and alarm.

"What are you doing!" she cried, her voice strained and broken as she pulled at his wrist, jerking his claws away from his body. Her fingers brushed over the new wounds, blood blossuming from the incisions and dribbling down his front.

Inuyasha bared his fangs, their elongated tips overlapping his mouth to bite into the soft skin of his lip. Kagome reached a hand up to touch his face, his eyes immediately drawing to stare at her trembling fingers, his eyes narrowing in what seemed to be a suppressed irritation. Kagome slid her blood tipped fingers over the smooth line of his jaw, cupping his jaw with her stained palm and forcing a smile at him, burying the strangled hurt from his disgusted frown as she touched his skin.

"Inuyasha…" she whispered, her voice scratched but strong. He showed no sign of registering her words. She drew in a sharp breath, the hand on his cheek curling in panic; however, she did not let her fear travel to the stormy depths of her eyes. She gazed into the unyielding shields of his ice blue corruption, finding a soft tone touch her heart in stark contrast to his own harsh exterior. "Inuyasha, you must turn back!"

"You stupid woman. He cannot turn back."

Her eyes widened, their cloudy blue color seizing and darkening to a deep, ashen grey. It was then that her miko powers overtook her, washing through her body as if the small trickle had broken through to release a powerfully flowing river of purification. Her eyes opened, this time to see beyond the image before her. She searched deep within him; her two years of experience and self-discovery of her own distinctive powers were now coming into play. Two years pervious, she was merely a girl from the future who had fairly good aim with a bow and a glimpse of her naturally imbedded purification powers. But her miko abilities, as she had come to ascertain, extended far beyond anything of her comprehension as a young, inexperienced 15-year-old.

Mastering the art of archery was mere child's play compared to what she was now capable of; her powers has exceeded far beyond the reaches of Kikyou's in her life. Now she was able to correspond her purification abilities through her hands, not just through a bow and arrow. With intensive training from Toutousai, she was building fairly amiable swordsmanship; hence, she was beginning to undertake the powers of holy sword skills, hind's sight, and aura cleansing. Anything she touched, she could search the aura of its most pervious contact, and utilize any weapon—though at the moment was limited to archery, swords, and small daggers—with her purifying abilities.

The touch of her hands against Inuyasha's face would have been all she needed to find and cleanse his aura, but the blood on her fingertips was interfering with her connection to him. That, and the obstruction of another. Kagome's eyes dilated as they drew darker and unfocused, looking beyond his physical appearance to search his living ambiance. Her senses were assaulted by an unfamiliar presence—a dark presence. Inuyasha wasn't the one speaking. Someone was controlling him.

Suddenly everything began to fall into place, and she was no longer cluelessly staring at the puzzle. Suddenly, her eyes began to focus on the picture.

'This one will strike when you least expect it.'

Her lips parted in a soft gasp, her eyes widening as she realized just exactly what was happening, almost so strongly that she felt the urge to harshly scold herself for missing it.

She should have noticed the first time he transformed... not the second. She should have _known_ when she first grasped onto the strange, swirling chaos in his eyes. When he looked at her... that it wasn't _him_ looking at her.

It was someone else.

His chest was still cased in sweat, drenched in the salty mixture of exhaustion; his breaths were jagged and worn as his chest shakily rose and fell. Inuyasha was still there; buried—but there. He was fighting them. But loosing.

Her eyes narrowed, and her hand slipped from his cheek, trailing down his neck and the smooth of his chest to meet her other hand pressed against the muscles of his center. She laid both hands next to each other, pressing the flat of her blood-smeared palm against his sternum, feeling her fingers slip against the mixed blood and sweat on his chest.

Inuyasha's expression dropped its malicious smirk, his eyes narrowing in anger as his head snapped down to glare at the placement of her hands on his chest, her hands slowly beginning to pulse. He would not fight alone. She pressed her palms flat into the soft contour of his bare chest, biting her lip as her fingers were encased in a soft, light pink glow. "Get out of him!" she cried, her brows drawn down in concentration.

Inuyasha's body was wracked with a strong spasm as her powers lanced through his body, jolting the alien presence with a powerful blow. He growled, and she hesitated slightly. Suddenly, his growl turned into a chuckle, his lungs contracting in laughter as he scoffed her weak efforts. Kagome held back her contempt.

"Stupid girl." The voice continued to speak, Inuyasha's lips moving to the alien tones not his own, mouthing and forming words not of his making. "Your powers are a nuicense," he hissed, looking down upon her through glowing, red eyes. His hands moved to encircle her upper arms, squeezing them tightly as she winced beneath his grip. "I will take them from you."

Kagome's head snapped back as a shockwave of electricity shot up her spine, causing her to reel back and arch her spine. Her mouth opened to scream, but no sound was emitted from her lips, thinned and open in shock. Suddenly, she felt her body being lurched forward, as if something was being yanked forward from her. She tried to grasp it, her lips tembling and fingers curling. "No..."

Slowly, she began to feel a soft, draining sensation. Her eyelids drooped, feeling a strong sense of exhaustion flood through her, suddenly becoming strangely weak. Her knees wobbled, her head lolling forward as she felt her muscles go limp, dropping her suppot from under neath her. She slipped forward to collapse into his chest, his tightened grip on her shoulders the only force keeping her upright as her legs feebly sank inwards. She was suddenly very tired...

Her eyes fluttered closed, her breathing ragged and uneven as she drew in deep, heavy breaths. She vaguely remembered why she was feeling so listless, her thoughts now clouded as a strong fatigue washed over her. Kagome slumped entirely in his hold, weakly realizing that something was wrong... something wasn't right. "Inu..." she mumbled unconsciously, "...yasha..."

Her thoughts suddenly paused, and she momentarily forgot her impending debilitation. What...?

Her fingers curled as she fought the dazed weight against her consciousness, drawing in a slow, ragged breath as they curled against the familiar texture of red cloth. Fire-rat...?

She drew in another slow, raw breath, pulling in the strong scent that surrounded her. The soft, pleasant smell of the forest, blanketed by a strange... unfamiliar scent. Blood...?

Her eyes slowly opened.

Inuyasha...?

Kagome's hands entwined around the cloth, clenching his haori with a tensed, almost panic-stricken grip.

INUYASHA!

Her eyes shot open, her legs twitching as she forced strength back into them, fighting against the weary muscles with a renewed energy. "Inu... yasha..." her voice strained, choked and raspy. "Inu... yasha!" she repeated, her limp knees fortifying, pushing against her slump. Her fingers laced through his haori, trembling as she pulled herslef up, forcing her body to her feet.

His grip faltered, and he glanced down at her, his eyes narrowed as she pushed against his drain. "What do you think you're--"

In the split second he took to release his lock on her soul, she reversed the spell, yanking her lost energy from his hold and turning it on him. She felt her powers slam back into her body, winding her as she exploded into purple light, her hair whipping around her face as she stumbled back from him, her fists clenched in rage.

He regarded her with a slight shock, watching with an almost twisted interest as she was enveloped in a purple fire, the flames dancing in her eyes as she burned hatred into his. He merely smiled, a strange, coiled smile, tilting his chin towards her. Without another word, the menacing presence disappeared, dissolving into Inuyasha's slumped form as he pitched forward, unconscious.

The light was swept from her body as she released it, returning to dormantly sleep inside of her, a gasp escaping from her lips. Tears plagued her eyes as she ran forward, dropping to her knees before him and wrapping her arms around his shoulders, burying her face into his shoulder. "I'm sorry..." she whispered, "I'm so sorry..."

And that's how they found them.

Hm. Interesting end. Have Sango and Miroku found out yet? I can't wait for chapter five, can't you?

Until next time!

Next chapter: Fractions


	5. Fragments

Wow! Here I am, back again! Its only been what? Four months? Five? God... I'm really sorry about my late update. And the sad thing is, I've had this chapter written forever, just never got around to posting it. The random reviews actually spur me to update, so its nice to get random ones every month. Reminds me that there are readers out there... somewhere...

Anyway, now that I'm back on some kind of schedule, I should be updating every week or so. I can't say I'm going to be updating _this_ story every week, though... I'm going to try and keep up all of my stories. Thanks for waiting so long!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. But if _you _do... How does five dollars and a new chapter sound to you? (Because I can give you the new chapter upfront... heh heh)

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_Corrupted Thought_

_Chapter Five: Fractions_

_By: Kaji-chan_

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Kagome awoke slowly... almost in layers. Everything seemed to peel away from the darkness that swamped her vision, the silence that dampened her hearing, the weight that hung over her body.

The first that came to her was sound. She could hear the soft crackling of a fire, not too far from her head. The sound of birds twittered, but they seemed far away, almost as if they were hidden behind some object that she could not yet see.

Her eyes blinked, slowly; very slowly. The darkness began to swirl before her, dampening into a clouded haze of blurred colors. The colors were faded and soft, and a light shadow hung to the ends of her line of sight. She blinked again, this time lacking the full drowsiness of the first, the blur slowly coming into focus.

She slowly, very slowly, moved her head, looking up along the incline of the wooden floor, the floorboards creaking as she did so, her eyes focusing upon the light glow of the fire. She could feel its warmth begin to creep over her skin, soaking into her clothes and sinking into the cold that dwelt deep in her cheeks. Where was she?

Her eyes trailed lazily down the length of her, falling upon the soft overcoat of a thick blanket, the source of the light weight upon her body. She was lying on an old, familiar futon, and her head rested upon a square, traditional pillow. Kagome breathed, her breath light and still. She was in Kaede's hut.

She pushed herself to a sitting position, touching her forehead lightly. Something was bothering her, nagging the back of her mind, but she couldn't quite touch it, couldn't quite understand what it was. Her hand slipped from her face, falling lightly in her lap as she stared blankly forward.

What had happened?

She gazed down into her blanketed lap, and a sudden, unexpected lump rose in her throat. Where were her clothes! Her hands shot up to her chest, concealing her exposed breast with frazzled, tensed palms. At least, she thought with a swallow, whoever had undressed her had left on her underwear... Her eyes then shot from her lap to across the room.

A sigh drifted from her lips as she saw the neatly folded pile of clothes in the corner of the hut, sitting next to another, more familiar school uniform. Both were smeared with blood. They then fell upon a basket of medicinal herbs by the fire, a roll of her bandages leaning against them. Kaede must have seen the blood on her clothes and assumed she was injured, undressing her in the process, before discovering that she wasn't wounded, as Kagome inferred from the lack of bandages upon her body.

One hand fell from her chest to rest upon the fresh set of clothes next to her side, brushing over the worn fabric of red and white. Her fingers clenched against the miko robes, feeling a terrible bile rise in her throat. She... she hated wearing these clothes. She had a sudden, strong yearning for the skirt and top lying upon the floor, far from her reach, but knew that they were certainly damp from the washing Kaede had serviced them. And since she had soiled her only other school uniform barely a night before, she had no other choice.

She couldn't help the reluctance that tugged at her conscious. Without her uniform, she felt almost alien. She felt that she wasn't herself any longer, that she was trying to be someone that she wasn't.

And the last someone she wanted to impersonate was Kikyou.

A sigh escaped her lips, turning away from the robes, her eyes trailing to the other side of her, to find a turned form in the corner, the bandages wrapped around his lower torso, barely visible from the silver hair which hung over the naked back. She froze, the hand resting upon the robes sliding over to fist in the blanket. Was he still sleeping?

"Are you awake...?" he asked quietly, his voice lowered by his turned head.

A gasp held tight in her throat, and her free hand whipped from the blanket to cover her exposed breasts with both hands. "You weren't sleeping!" she exclaimed, her horror concealed in a whisper.

He sighed, his sigh heavy. "I heard you waking and turned over. I assumed you didn't want me to know that you aren't wearing anything..." he mumbled, as gruff as usual.

"What do you... You didn't see me naked, did you!" Her eyes were wide, and she could feel the embarrassed blush stain her cheeks.

He remained turned from her, concealing his expression. "N-no..." he said awkwardly, the muscles in his back tensing ever-so-slightly.

Kagome relaxed a bit, but there was a hint of disappointment on her face. She stiffened at her own reaction and turned her face away, swallowing her expression with a frown.

"I'll wait for you to get dressed," he continued, keeping his back to her, not allowing her enough of a moment to think of what kind of horrible things she could spout at him, pervert probably near the bottom of the list. He pushed himself up from his laying position and leaned awkwardly on his right arm, but did not turn to face her as to allow her a bit of privacy.

Her palms tensed against her chest, not wanting to expose herself for a second to slip on the haori, still untrusting. She bit her lip, staring at the back of his head, quiet for a while. Though she didn't want to sit there, half naked, she didn't want to wear those clothes, either. Sango was sure to come soon, and she could ask her for her other clothes, wherever they were. Her tight expression slowly faded, and her fingers relaxed, reaching down with one hand and pulling the blanket up over her chest as a makeshift modesty. "Inuyasha..." she began gently.

He slowly turned his head, as if cautious. His expression was curious, and, upon his quick glance at her chest, it gradually became nervous, perhaps as he realized her continued state of undress. "You're still..." be began to point out, but the embarrassment seemed to keep him from completing his sentence. He turned his head back to the wall quickly. It seemed, as she suspected, that he was uncomfortable by her naked torso.

That was fine. She probably would have been uncomfortable if Inuyasha was only wearing a towel around his waist. It had happened before.

"I just want to wait for Sango to bring me my uniform is all," she explained, careful not to mention any detesting of the miko robes.

"Whatever," he mumbled, glaring away into the wall irritably. She swallowed. If he was so disgusted, he could just leave...

She bit her lip, nervous--but probably more embarrassed, now--herself, drawing the blanket closer and tieing it above her chest fairly securely. "Um... what happened, exactly?" she asked, abruptly avoiding the subject of her disrobed state, fumbling with the knot.

He paused, as if unsure how to answer. "I..." he began, swallowing, "I don't remember."

She was quiet, attempting memory. She had been near Kikyou's grave, and then... he...

She couldn't remember.

He was studying her attentively, watching for some sort of remembrance on her features, shocked when her eyes snapped up to his, widening. "Do you... do you remember anything?" he asked. She didn't remember when he... did she?

Kagome's trailed from his eyes, pausing on the torn haori tied around his waist. She bit her lip, clutching her blanket tightly around her upper body before crawling towards him. His eyes widened as she slowly drew closer, and his hand twitched, as if he wanted to back away, but couldn't seem to move. She stretched out to him, her hand reaching for his waist, closing the gap between them with an awkward stumble on her knees. He leaned back, his mouth opening, but unable to form sound. "Wha--what are you doing...!" he exclaimed, grabbing her wrist a few inches away from his waist.

She paused, looking up at him with confusion. "I'm taking your haori off of your waist! How am I supposed to sew it back together if you're still wearing it?"

He paused, giving her a strange look, biting back his response. "Then why didn't you just _ask_ for it?" he snapped, shoving her hand away, ignoring the stung expression on her face. With a gruff snort, he reached over himself and untied the torn red cloth, holding it out to her.

She took it, sitting down and readjusting the blanket around her, settling the haori in her lap, pausing and staring at it for a few moments, as if forgetting something. "Oh, I left my needle over by the fire, didn't I?" she mumbled to herself, making to crawl back towards her backpack.

His hand jerked out, grabbing hold of her arm. It hadn't been quite sudden, but she certainly hadn't been expecting it. For a brief moment, she felt a strange sensation of fear sweep through her, her eyes shooting back to his. Her alarm deserted her as quickly as it had overcome her, fading back into silence as she made contact with his still-gold eyes. He seemed to notice such, his brows drawing lower over his eyes, appearing a bit pained by her reaction. "How..." he said softly, as if trying to soothe her, "How did you get these?" he asked, his grip loosening as he looked down at the marks on her upper arm.

Kagome followed his gaze, finding herself staring at the barely healed wounds on her upper arm. "Oh... they..." How could she lie to him? It was obvious they were claw markings. She looked up into his eyes. He knew it.

She wrapped her free hand around her shoulder, as if to cover it from him. "It's nothing..." she said carefully, forcing what she hoped to be a convincing smile for him. "It doesn't hurt or anything... I'm fine." Besides, these were from a few nights ago. Even though they hadn't really healed--

"Did I do that?"

She couldn't bear the look in his eyes, feeling a sting in her own. "No," she replied, her voice barely safe from cracking. "No, you didn't."

He watched her, carefully, his fingers reaching towards her shoulder, brushing hesitantly against her skin. Clenching his fangs to bite back the self anger so obvious in his eyes, he ran his claw along the line of abrasion, concern and guilt gentling his touch.

She hissed, turning her eyes away. "You said it didn't hurt," he snarled, drawing his hand away.

Kagome bowed her head, frowning. "Only a little," she mumbled.

He reached out again, running his claw a bit above the scar. "Does it hurt here?" he asked gruffly, watching her for a reaction.

"No, not as much," she answered, her eyes still downcast.

He trailed his claw over the curve of her shoulder to graze against her collarbone, following another scar, not seemingly connected with the first. It didn't seem to be from claws, however. It seemed to be more of an odd, blue discoloration starting between her collarbones and slithering into obscurity beneath the blanket. His claw ran over the length of it, traveling down to the extent of where the sheet forbade him, watching her intently for reaction. "What is this, Kagome?"

She bit her lip suddenly, a strong intake of breath sharply pulling at her lungs, but she suppressed it. A wave slid through her, running sharply down her spine, her hand moving from her shoulder to grab his wrist. His eyes snapped from her scar to her upturned eyes, catching the violent flash that overtook them, her hand clenching against the blanket. Her lips parted to speak, but couldn't voice more than a soft, clenched note.

She turned her head slowly, her eyes sliding up to his, almost apprehensive. "Please..." she whispered shallowly, "don't do that again..."

It was as if every muscle in her body ached from the power drain, and she had yet to heal from it. Even with his touch so gentle, it pained her for him to touch her anywhere close to her chest, especially the bruise running along her collarbone. It seemed to be particularly prickly when bothered.

But... it wasn't just the pain that was making her nerves go wild, either.

He paused, uncertainly, almost confused as he drew in her scent. Kagome's lids were heavy, and her gaze fell from his, staring jadedly forward through low lashes, her breathing forced and discomfited. He read her scent with widening, confused eyes. But it wasn't the overwhelming scent of pain that shocked him--it was the second, fainter one which furrowed his brow.

He moved his hand back to her, her hand still loosely encircling his wrist, and curled his claws lightly upon her shoulder, careful not to brush the scar on her chest, dragging them slowly down her arm. He watched her with a curious intensity, waiting for her reaction.

This time, she couldn't force down the gasp, and her hand clenched almost painfully around his wrist, her eyes snapping to his. Her body went rigid, and she drew the blanket sharply into her, twisting her legs underneath it and pulling away from him. Her eyes were dilated, her lips falling open as she stared up at him, eyes wide and drugged. "Stop it!" was all she managed to say, her voice raw.

His drew his hand away, reaching up and drawing a finger along the line of her jaw. Her wide eyes fell from his, calming as she leaned her cheek into his palm, the tight grip on his wrist loosening. There was no mistaking it then--

He watched her face, his expression unreadable, holding her in his palm with a light silence. Slowly, he reached out and laid his other hand gently on the curve of her neck, sliding his hand down her shoulder. Her eyes rose to his, and he looked away, following the trail of his hands.

He pulled her forward slightly, leaning down towards her. She looked up at him, almost afraid. Was he...? But he turned from her eyes, tucking his head into her shoulder, breathing lightly upon her neck. They didn't speak, merely pausing there. His hands flexed against her arms, but he didn't move. Her hand held tightly onto the blanket, and she didn't push away, allowing him to bury his face into her neck. "What are you...?" She broke off, suddenly forgetting what she was asking, too confused... too detached.

It was quiet... almost hauntingly quiet. She felt his lips move against her neck, and the warm puffs of breath against her skin as he spoke, breaking the silence. She paused, her eyes tilting to the top of his head, listening. "What if you didn't wake up?"

The question had been so unexpected that she found she couldn't answer him. Her hand twitched against his wrist, as if to draw away, but found she didn't have the strength to pull from his hold. Before she could find her voice, he drew away from her slightly, just barely lifting his face from her shoulder. His hand trailed down from her shoulder, her hand releasing his, wrapping around both her shoulders, his other hand sliding down and wrapping around her lower back, pulling her tightly and abruptly into his chest.

What was going on? Why was he suddenly so affectionate? Had something happened while she was unconscious? But it had only been a day... right?

Her hand trembled against the blanket, crushed against him, her eyes pained and relaxed in the same instant. Her fingers pulled out of the cloth, pushing through his chest and wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling herself into him. How could she pull away? How could she turn away the affections that she had longed for the last _three years?_

She couldn't.

She felt her cover begin to slip from her chest as she pulled against him, but she found that she didn't care anymore. This may be the only moment she would hold with him, so helplessly embracing each other. After so many years of this life, after so many narrow escapes... How many times had she nearly died? She was forced to face the reality that this may very well be her last day, or the last day she would have eyes to gaze up at him with, or hands to fluster in his hair. It was a sad reality, perhaps, but she would rather ignore it entirely.

She closed her eyes. But, in a strange twist of irony, it was also another reason for her to let their carefully set and guarded boundaries of their friendship slip... just ever so slightly. Her fingers twisted against the back of his neck, tangling in his hair as she buried her face into his chest, memorizing the feel of his bare chest against her cheek.

"Kagome," he whispered. Her eyes fluttered open. No... Her hands flexed against his hair. It had only been a few seconds; she didn't want to let go.

He pulled away slightly, their bodies separating as he drew away from her. Her hands slipped from his neck as he leaned back, sliding to rest upon his chest, her eyes remaining closed. She felt the blanket begin to slip again, and she looked down at its unsupported balance, realizing that the knot had come undone.

Inuyasha followed her gaze just in time to see it fall completely from her chest to pool innocently at her waist.

There was an awkward silence as they both stared down... Kagome staring at the blanket, and Inuyasha staring elsewhere.

The bittersweet moment quickly evaporated.

A red hot blush began to creep over both of their cheeks, and Inuyasha tore his eyes away, looking to the side awkwardly as she hastily pulled the blanket back up to cover herself, stuttering incoherently.

"Inuyasha!" came a voice from outside, "Are the two of you decent?"

Their eyes shot to the door, Inuyasha freezing. Kagome quickly stood, stumbling away from him to rigidly make a grab at the folded robes by the fire, drawing the blanket around her tighter as she fumbled off into the connecting room to change.

At that moment, Sango and Miroku walked in, thankfully the few seconds later than situational irony would have it, blinked at Inuyasha's terribly red face, and then blinked at Kagome as she stumbled into the other room and out of sight. Sango paused, shifting the weight of the water bucket on her arm as she stared at the flap concealing Kagome from view. "She's awake...?" she said, her expression shocked. Her eyes suddenly shot to Inuyasha accusingly. "Why didn't you tell us that she had woken up!"

Miroku opened his mouth to note Inuyasha's flustered expression, but the more obvious banging in the small connecting room--where it sounded as if Kagome had tripped over the blanket trail and fallen into the wall in her attempts to get dressed in a closet sized room--cut him off. The two of them redirected their attention to the adjoining room and winced.

After a moment of awkward silence, Miroku slowly turned his gaze back to Inuyasha, who had, by this point, managed to swallow his embarrassment and replace it with a gruff frown. Inuyasha was blushing and Kagome was tripping all over herself... it didn't take a genius to unravel the evidence.

"Um... did we come at a bad time...?" Miroku offered, moving to leave.

"Kagome-chan, do you need help in there?" Sango called, ignoring Miroku and starting over for the small flap to the room where she was changing, disappearing behind it.

Miroku glanced from Sango's vacancy to Inuyasha again, raising an eyebrow. "Did she just wake up?" he asked.

Inuyasha grunted, shrugging and looking away. "That must have been awkward for you, Inuyasha, with Kagome topless and the like..." Miroku continued, looking off with a thoughtful smile.

Inuyasha sent a glare his way. "Bouzu..." he snarled, obviously not as amused as he.

At that moment, Sango reappeared, a still-frazzled Kagome following after her, avoiding eye contact with Inuyasha, as he avoided any catching gazes as well. As if to break the silence, and, possibly, to divert Sango's curious staring, Inuyasha stood, grabbing his white under layer and shrugging it onto his shoulders. "I'm going out for a bit," he said suddenly, making his way towards the door.

"But... you really shouldn't be moving so much, Inuyasha, especially with those abdominal wounds--" Sango said, moving to stop him.

"I'm fine," he brushed off, heading to leave.

"Um..." Kagome said quietly, turning everyone's attention to her. "I... I may go back home to get a set of clothes..."

Inuyasha paused before the door, glancing briefly in her direction. "Do what you want, then," he replied gruffly, moving through the doorway, the flap swishing in his wake.

Sango watched him leave, then turned back to Kagome. "Are you okay? Do you need anything?"

Kagome looked away, a bit embarrassed. "N-no... I'm fine. Thank you."

"There isn't anything we can do for you? If not, we would very much like to speak with you," Miroku stated, his expression remained concerned, though his tone was serious and calm.

Kagome took a step away, glancing at the door. "I... I really should go home quickly."

"Kagome-sama, this is fairly important. Can it wait? You shouldn't be moving around much either, especially after such a fever," he said with concern, the rings on his staff jingling lightly as he moved towards her.

"I..." Her eyes darted between the both of them, afraid of their solemn expressions and what this conversation may imply. "I _really_ should go now, while I still have the chance..."

"The chance for what, Kagome? Your family isn't going anywhere at noon--"

"My, ah... my brother has a ceremony. The shrine might be locked if they're gone so I should probably leave..."

Miroku's expression was almost guilty. "Are you sure... are you sure it's today, Kagome-sama?"

She was confused for a moment. "Of course its today. Why would it not be today?" When they didn't answer, she took the opportunity to take a few more steps towards the exit. "We can talk when I return. I won't be long, I promise!" she said, quickly making for the door and slipping through the flap without another word.

Sango sighed, crossing her arms as she and Miroku watched the flap swing back and forth, gradually coming to rest, a silence hanging over them. "We're going to have to talk with her sometime, before it catches up to her and puts her in shock."

The monk nodded, silent for a moment. She watched him curiously. Miroku leaned his staff against his shoulder, crossing his arms as well and drawing in breath to speak. Sango turned to regard him, the grave glint in her eyes retracting slightly.

"We're all alone..." he said offhandedly.

"..."

-----

Kagome stood before the well, peering down into its depths. Sure... she had wanted to go home when she padded towards the Goshinboku, but as she drew closer and closer to the clearing, she realized that it really had been only an excuse to get away from Miroku and Sango's questioning. Only now she felt obligated to go... if they came back and found her standing there, they would certainly be able to wriggle a conversation out of her, and it was one she didn't want to have.

Her eyes trailed to the grass fluttering silently near the well's base, biting her lip. She could still see the red coating its strands. Was that blood?

Suddenly, the previous nights events slammed back into her. It was so forceful that she almost crumpled to her knees, her eyes wide and alarmed. Blood... claws... her powers...

She squeezed her eyes shut. She could see them, staring at her. Staring _through_ her. Unnerving her. Grasping her.

Red eyes.

Her hand reached shakily to her neck, as if she could still feel the slow dragging of his tongue across her flesh, her fingers trembling. "Oh my God..." she whispered. It had barely been two days, and it was so frightening that something inside of her was already trying to cover it. This transformation... it hadn't happened once.

It happened twice.

Is that what Miroku was going to ask her about? Is that what Sango was worried about? What if they had seen the blood by the well, and on her school uniform... and put the two together? Did they know that she was keeping this from them?

She probably would have been able to cover her story if she hadn't have lied to Sango yesterday morning. Or was it even yesterday? How long had she been sleeping for?

The worst part about hiding things from friends was that when they found out, they would either be offended because they didn't understand or angry because they did and demanded why they were underhanded. If it were anything else, she might have told them...

No. If it were anything else, she _knew_ that she would have told them. When she slunk back into the room that night, she almost woke Sango up and told her on spot.

And then Kikyou appeared...

Kagome sighed. Now she _knew_ that something was going on with Inuyasha... and it wasn't just about the transformation. It was that someone was _forcing_ him to transform... and it may very well be that someone that Kikyou had spoken of.

Now that she knew there was some kind of connection, there was no way she could tell her friends. Not yet. Something told her that it needed to be a personal matter. Just between her and Inuyasha.

She bit her lip. Unfortunately, something was holding her back from even mentioning this to Inuyasha... If she told him, would he avoid her even more? Her selfishness didn't want that. She wanted him to stay with her, especially if being alone would put him in danger.

Maybe letting him know _would_ be the right thing to do...?

She couldn't seem to think straight. Her hands reached up to wrap around her torso, suddenly feeling very, very cold.

Suddenly, she realized that it she was very... empty.

Her eyes slid in and out of focus, and a dull throb sounded in the back of her head. And, for some strange reason unbeknowest to her, these sensations were oddly familiar. Kagome reached up to bury her face in her hands, closing her eyes as another shiver rolled down her spine. Her hand reached up to her chest, feeling a dull throbbing beneath her palm. She suddenly felt extremely cold, as if the warmth had drained from her body. But it was still summer...

What was happening to her?

She fainted.

-

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Bwahahaha! Cliffhanger! (I wonder how many times I'll be saying that in the next couple of weeks?) So, what's happening to Kagome? Why does everything seem out of place? Well, unfortunately neither of those questions are going to be answered in the next chapter, but there will be a few hints and _more_ questions! I'm already excited, aren't you?

Next chapter: Another


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